WOCN31 CWHX 161145 TROPICAL CYCLONE INFORMATION STATEMENT UPDATED BY THE CANADIAN HURRICANE CENTRE OF ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 8:55 AM ADT FRIDAY 16 SEPTEMBER 2011. --------------------------------------------------------------------- TROPICAL CYCLONE INFORMATION STATEMENT FOR: LABRADOR NEWFOUNDLAND NOVA SCOTIA. FOR HURRICANE MARIA. THE NEXT INTERMEDIATE STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AT 12:30 PM NDT. FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT FULL STATEMENT ISSUED BY 3:30 PM NDT. HURRICANE MARIA EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL AS A HURRICANE THIS AFTERNOON IN SOUTHEAST NEWFOUNDLAND - MERGING WITH LARGE NON-TROPICAL LOW OVER LABRADOR ON SATURDAY. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ==DISCUSSION== 1. SUMMARY OF BASIC INFORMATION AT 9:30 AM NDT. LOCATION: ABOUT 43.3 NORTH 58.6 WEST. ABOUT 130 KILOMETRES SOUTHEAST OF SABLE ISLAND. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS: 130 KM/HOUR. PRESENT MOVEMENT: NORTHEAST AT 85 KM/H. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE: 979 MB. 2. PUBLIC WEATHER IMPACTS AND WARNINGS SUMMARY. HURRICANE MARIA EXPECTED TO MERGE/INTERACT WITH A DEVELOPING TROUGH TO ITS NORTH THAT WILL CONNECT TO A MUCH LARGER NON-TROPICAL LOW OVER LABRADOR. OUR LATEST TRACK (ON THE WWW.HURRICANES.CA WEBSITE) SHOWS MARIA PASSING OVER THE ISTHMUS OF THE AVALON PENINSULA THIS AFTERNOON WITH HURRICANE FORCE GUSTS FORECAST OVER LAND. NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE FAR-REACHING IMPACTS OF THE COMBINED WEATHER SYSTEMS WELL AWAY FROM THE TRACK. A. WIND. WINDY CONDITIONS ARE TO BE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT ATLANTIC CANADA TODAY AND SATURDAY AS THE NON-TROPICAL LOW AND TROUGH NORTH OF MARIA UNITE. THE HIGHEST WINDS DIRECTLY FROM MARIA ARE FORECAST OVER THE SOUTHERN AVALON PENINSULA THIS AFTERNOON. A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE AVALON PENINSULA AND A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS POSTED FOR THE NORTHERN AVALON, THE BURIN, AND BONAVISTA PENINSULAS. WIND GUSTS OF 100 KM/H ARE EXPECTED IN THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AREA. HURRICANE FORCE WIND GUSTS (120 KM/H OR HIGHER) ARE EXPECTED IN THE HURRICANE WARNING AREA. THESE WIND GUSTS CAN TOPPLE TREES AND BREAK LARGE BRANCHES, RESULTING IN DOWNED UTILITY LINES AND POWER INTERUPTIONS. DAMAGE TO SIGNAGE AND BUILDING CLADDING/ROOFING MATERIAL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WHEN WINDS GUST TO 120 KM/H OR MORE. THE AFOREMENTIONED COMBINED LOW WILL DELIVER HIGH WINDS OVER A BROAD AREA COVERING NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. AS A RESULT THE NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR WEATHER OFFICE HAS POSTED WIND AND RAINFALL WARNINGS FOR PORTIONS OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND COASTAL LABRADOR. COASTAL LABRADOR IN PARTICULAR WILL LIKELY RECEIVE THE STRONGEST WINDS ON SATURDAY. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATED FORECASTS TODAY AND SATURDAY. B. RAINFALL. RAIN OVER NEWFOUNDLAND IN ADVANCE OF MARIA AND TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TODAY THEN END TONIGHT AS THESE SYSTEMS MOVE OFF TO THE EAST. THE POTENTIAL FOR THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL EXISTS OVER SOUTHERN, EASTERN AND CENTRAL NEWFOUNDLAND WHERE 60 TO 90 MILLIMETRES IS EXPECTED. NOTE THAT WHENEVER MOISTURE FROM A HURRICANE FEEDS INTO A FRONT/TROUGH IT IS LIKELY THAT RAINFALL RATES OF 15 TO 25 MILLIMETRES PER HOUR WOULD OCCUR. SUCH RATES COULD LEAD TO FLASH-TYPE FLOODING IN DITCHES AND SMALL RIVERS ESPECIALLY WHERE TERRAIN IS STEEP. LOCAL FLOODING IN PRONE AREAS IS POSSIBLE. FORTUNATELY, RIVER WATER LEVELS ARE AT OR BELOW NORMAL OVER EASTERN NEWFOUNDLAND. KEEP IN MIND HOWEVER THAT SMALLER RIVERS/CREEKS WILL RESPOND MORE QUICKLY TO HEAVY RAIN THAN LARGER ONES. RAINFALL WARNINGS FOR RAMEA CONNAIGRE EAST TO THE AVALON PENINSULA THEN NORTH TO BONAVISTA AND TERRA NOVA PARK. THESE WILL BE EXPANDED WESTWARD EARLY THIS MORNING. C. SURGE/WAVES. MOST COASTAL REGIONS OF NEWFOUNDLAND CAN EXPECT WAVES TO BUILD TODAY AS THE WEATHER SYSTEMS INTERACT. WAVE AND SURGE EFFECTS DIRECTLY FROM MARIA WILL OCCUR OVER THE SOUTHERN AVALON PENINSULA COASTLINES THIS AFTERNOON. STORM SURGE OF NEAR ONE METRE IS LIKELY ALONG THE SOUTHERN AVALON COAST THIS AFTERNOON. WITH LOCAL HIGH TIDE IN THAT AREA NEAR NOON TIDES IN THAT AREA WILL BE FALLING AT THE TIME OF MARIA'S LANDFALL WITH LOW TIDE LATE THIS AFTERNOON. WAVE HEIGHTS OF 5 TO 7 METRES ARE EXPECTED NEAR AND TO THE RIGHT OF MARIA'S TRACK AND WILL GIVE HEAVY POUNDING SURF TO ONSHORE AREAS OF THE SOUTHERN AVALON PENINSULA. LARGE WAVES AND STORM SURGE ARE LIKELY OVER WESTERN NEWFOUNDLAND TONIGHT AND SATURDAY PARTICULARLY IN THE STRAIT OF BELLE ISLE. A LESSER RISK EXISTS FOR THE NORTHEAST COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND. THIS LOW WILL GENERATE VERY HIGH WAVES OFFSHORE OF LABRADOR ON SATURDAY WHERE WAVE HEIGHTS COULD EXCEED 10 METRES. ONE FACTOR THAT MAY HELP EASE IMPACTS SOMEWHAT IS A RUN OF LOWER THAN AVERAGE TIDES. 3. MARINE WEATHER IMPACTS AND WARNINGS SUMMARY. STORM TO HURRICANE FORCE WIND WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN MARINE AREAS FOR TODAY AS A RESULT OF MARIA. GALE TO STORM FORCE WINDS ARE IN EFFECT ELSEWHERE OVER MOST OF ATLANTIC CANADIAN WATERS FOR TODAY AND SATURDAY AS A RESULT OF THE NON-TROPICAL LOW. VISIT WEATHEROFFICE.GC.CA/HURRICANE (ALL IN LOWER CASE) FOR THE LATEST: - FORECAST POSITION, CENTRAL PRESSURE TABLE. - STRENGTH AND PREDICTED WIND RADII TABLE. - HURRICANE TRACK INFORMATION MAP. - TECHNICAL DISCUSSION. PLEASE ALSO REFER TO THE PUBLIC AND MARINE FORECASTS AND WARNINGS ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA FOR YOUR AREA. END