Wind and rain are on tap for Ottawa and Gatineau, but the capital region will be spared the worst of Hurricane Sandy as it drives up into Canada from the U.S. eastern seaboard.
While parts of southern Ontario will get lashed by rain and 'severe' winds, the Ottawa region is due to get some unpleasant-but-not-extraordinary weather as Hurricane Sandy weakens to a post-tropical storm, with winds of up to 80 kilometres an hour forecast for Monday evening into Tuesday morning, Environment Canada says.
The projected route of the so-called "Frankenstorm" suggests the centre of the system will run directly over Ottawa. But the storm is expected to drop about 15 mm of rain as it weakens quickly over land, a meteorologist told the Ottawa Citizen.
GALLERY: HURRICANE SANDY, IN PHOTOS
The Canadian Hurricane Centre expects the storm to drop rainfall amounts of 20 millimetres in some areas to well over 50 millimetres in others. It also notes that rain could change into snow over central Ontario as temperatures stay in the low single digits.
More than a dozen flights at Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport were cancelled Monday as Hurricane Sandy affected airports in New York, Washington and Boston. The airport issued a travel advisory and urged passengers to check with flight status with individual airlines.
Toronto's Pearson International airport has cancelled more than 300 flights due to Hurricane Sandy, with further cancellations expected tonight. Travellers are asked to with check airlines for flight statuses.
The Red Cross published a list of items people should stockpile in case they lose power or water.
Elsewhere in Ontario, seven-metre waves are expected in parts of the Great Lakes, especially southern Lake Huron.
The centre of the storm was positioned to come ashore Monday night in New Jersey, meaning the worst of the surge could be in the northern part of that state and in New York City and on Long Island. The Canadian Hurricane Centre said in its latest update that there is still a possibility the storm would get stronger before moving ashore.
Higher tides brought by a full moon compounded the threat to the metropolitan area of about 20 million people.
With files from The Canadian Press
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