HALIFAX — The Canadian Hurricane Centre says confidence is increasing hurricane Earl will move into the region Saturday morning bringing high winds and heavy rain.
Ocean swell from the storm is expected to reach the coast today.
Earl continued its push toward the region this morning, gathering strength as it neared Cape Hatteras, N.C., forcing evacuations and creating dangerous conditions.
In its latest statement, the Canadian Hurricane Centre said the storm is moving northward at about 31 kilometres per hour and had maximum sustained winds of 222 km/h.
"Possible landfall of Earl in Atlantic Canada is still over 48 hours away. Therefore the details of the public impacts will be more accurately assessed later today and tonight," the centre said in a 3 a.m. news release.
"It is likely that high wind and heavy rain will affect portions of Atlantic Canada on Saturday. The public should certainly pay close attention regarding weekend plans that may be sensitive to high wind and heavy rain conditions."
Earl is expected to rock western Nova Scotia and heavy rains will likely batter New Brunswick, Canadian meteorologists predict.
Atlantic Canada should prepare for power outages, downed trees and possible flooding as early as 9 a.m. Saturday, experts at the hurricane centre warn.
"The whole area of Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick should be equally alert to the arrival of this storm," Chris Fogarty, program supervisor at centre, said from its Dartmouth, N.S. headquarters on Wednesday afternoon.
"This is definitely a storm with the potential to be very problematic. We've got a range of possibilities here but we're noticing hurricane strength," he said.
The U.S. Weather Service described hurricane Earl as a Class 4 storm this morning. According to the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, a Class 4 hurricane can have sustained winds of up to 249 km/h and there is a high risk of injury due to flying debris once the storm makes landfall.
According to the Canadian centre, satellite images reveal several models that suggest Earl's path could move from eastern Maine to Cape Breton and there is a 50 per cent chance it could land in western Nova Scotia as a Category 1 storm, with 140/km winds. It could also shake Newfoundland with powerful winds gusts.
Weather experts are continuing to issue reports every six hours and have already noticed water temperatures on the Atlantic coast are a few degrees warmer than they were when Hurricane Juan hit in 2003. Fogarty said cooler water temperatures usually help to calm a storm, but temperatures have remained at about 21 C.
Experts aren't sure how much damage Earl could cause, but Atlantic Canada organizations are already preparing for the worst and are urging residents do the same.
Maritimers should pull together an emergency kit with blankets, flashlights, first aid supplies and enough food and water for 72 hours, the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office said.
"The key to keeping everyone safe is to be prepared. We can't control where a hurricane might go but we can protect our family's comfort and safety," said Mike Myette, EMO director of emergency services.
In 2003, Hurricane Juan, "just barely" a Category 2 storm, wreaked havoc across Nova Scotia and P.E.I. and left some areas in the region without power for up to two weeks.
Halifax resident Peter MacDonald remembers sitting in his living room as roof-ripping Juan uprooted trees, ripped sidewalks, forced cars into the air and destroyed lawn furniture.
"The wind was picking big things up like they were toys. It was so hard to believe this could all be done by wind alone," he said.
He said hurricane Earl warnings have reminded the city of what happened seven years ago.
"It does bring back a lot of memories of what the community went through, but now we're not nervous. We're more diligent and we follow weather advisories and track it more closely," he said.
If the storm drops to a Class 1 by the time it reaches Canada Saturday it could carry winds of up to 150 km/h.
According to the Saffir-Simpson scale, during a Class 1 storm:
• Some "poorly constructed" frame homes could experience major damage involving roof loss.
• Some apartment buildings and shopping centre roof coverings could be partially removed.
• Windows in highrise buildings can be broken.
• Large branches of trees will snap and shallow rooted trees can be toppled.
