Meteorologists on Canada's East Coast are keeping an eye on Hurricane Leslie, a storm that could wreak havoc on Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland as early as next Tuesday.
As of Thursday morning, Leslie has been measured as a Category 1 storm and is stalled about 700 km south-southeast of Bermuda. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the storm could hit parts of Nova Scotia by Tuesday morning and Newfoundland later in the week.
But Chris Fogarty of the Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC) told CTV News that east coasters shouldn't worry just yet. The storm seems to have stalled near Bermuda and that makes predicting the storm's path tricky.
“The steering currents for it are extremely weak and it could just as easily drift southward before moving north again,” Fogarty told Canada AM on Thursday. “That’s why we’re cautioning people not to focus in too much on the official track.”
Hurricane Leslie's predicted path as of Thursday, Sept. 6:
The island nation of Bermuda is bracing for the worst with the storm expected to hit this weekend.
"The Bermuda Weather Service has advised that Leslie could be a historic storm for Bermuda as it is very large and forecast to intensify rapidly as it approaches. The Island could experience hurricane force winds for a sustained period of time, possibly up to two days," Bermuda's Emergency Measures Office said in a statement.
Leslie's impact could be felt on the U.S. East Coast this weekend with the Coast Guard urging caution in and around coastal waters around North Carolina. Leslie could also create rough waters on south-facing beaches in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
Hurricane Leslie's approach raises the spectre of Hurricane Igor. The 2010 storm brought torrential rains to Newfoundland and caused some $200-million in damage. Hurricane Igor killed one person in Newfoundland and was retired from the list of Atlantic hurricane names.
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