Sunday, November 4, 2007
Areas in Nova Scotia still without power - note return to service approx 11/06/2007 11:30 PM
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OUTAGES Community | Estimated Time to Restore | |
Antigonish/Northern NS | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Baddeck/Central Cape Breton | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Bedford/Sackville | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Bridgetown | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Bridgewater | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Caledonia | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Chester | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Cheticamp | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Dartmouth | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Goshen | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Guysborough County | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Kentville/Wolfville | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Kingston | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Liverpool | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Louisbourg | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Mabou | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Metro Halifax/West County | 11/05/2007 06:00 PM | |
Middle and Upper Musquodoboit | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Musquodoboit Harbour | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
New Glasgow/Pictou County | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
North Sydney | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Parrsboro/Springhill/Noel Shore | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Port Hawkesbury | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
River Bourgeois/Southeast Cape Breton | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Sheet Harbour | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Shelburne | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
St. Margaret's Bay | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Sydney/Cape Breton County | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Tatamagouche/Wentworth Valley | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Truro | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Windsor | 11/06/2007 11:30 PM | |
Noel leaves 190,000 in Atlantic Canada powerless
CANADIAN PRESS
November 4, 2007 at 2:41 PM EST
HALIFAX — Noel was nasty, but nothing like hurricane Juan.
The post-tropical storm, the remnants of a full-fledged hurricane that killed 143 people in the Caribbean earlier in the week, was a much tamer beast by the time it rolled into Atlantic Canada early Sunday.
Powerful gusts pulled limbs from trees, knocking out power to about 190,000 homes and businesses across the region, and there were reports of washed-out roads and other damage.
But there were few signs of the kind of destruction that was inflicted on the region four years ago by Juan, a smaller but more intense system.
A family makes their way around an uprooted tree, toppled by Hurricane Noel, on Quinpool road in Halifax on Sunday. (Paul Darrow/Reuters)
Videos
CTV Newsnet: Denelle Balfour reports on Noel's progress from Dartmouth, N.S.
"It's half decent, but it's not as bad as it was for hurricane Juan," said Doug Mercer as he shot video of ragged whitecaps on Halifax harbour in the pre-dawn darkness.
"I was down here the same night Juan was happening. This is more like an average winter storm."
In Halifax, dawn broke with the electricity still on in the downtown core but most surrounding neighbourhoods doing without. Streets were littered with broken branches, shredded leaves and the occasional downed power line, but residents awoke with relief that the damage inflicted by Juan's direct hit in September 2003 hadn't been repeated.
"It's not as strong, there's not near the damage," said another man who went to the waterfront at the height of the storm. "The boats are still in the water here, no trains off the tracks."
Seven people died in the region as a result of Juan, a Category 2 hurricane that felled hundreds of thousands of trees and knocked out power to 300,000 homes and businesses in Nova Scotia alone — some for more than a week.
Juan's gusts were so powerful — 185 km/h in some bursts — they knocked a string of railcars off tracks at the edge of Halifax harbour, and tossed yachts onto land like children's toys. About 70,000 trees were uprooted in Point Pleasant Park alone.
One of the few trees ripped from the ground in Halifax by Noel narrowly missed Dov Bercovici's west-end home.
"It really sounded like a bomb," he said later as children played around the tree's exposed roots.
"The whole house shook and woke us up immediately. We had no idea what it was."
In coastal areas outside Halifax, the damage caused by the storm was heavier than in the city.
Eben Fry, who lives in Indian Harbour, was walking his dog on a shoreline road that was washed out by the storm.
"Basically it looks like the ocean picked up the road and shifted it a few feet," he said.
Carole MacInnis, owner of Oceanstone Cottages in Indian Harbour, said the storm surge was higher from Noel and caused more damage to her property than Juan did.
"I was here during Juan and we definitely have had more damage and it was more dramatic than Juan, which was surprising," she said.
"It was a little more exciting than I wanted."
Noel packed hurricane-force winds when it hit Nova Scotia shortly after midnight Sunday. The peak gust in the Halifax area was recorded in the middle of the harbour at 135 km/h.
In Cape Breton, where the wind always seems to blow harder, gusts at Grand Etang hit 143 km/h.
Margaret Murphy, a spokeswoman for Nova Scotia Power, said 150 crews, backed by private contractors and 20 crews from Maine and Quebec, were handling the outages. By noon, 130,000 customers were still without power in the province.
"We hope to make good progress today and tomorrow," she said in an interview.
The vast majority of those who lost power were expected to have their service restored by Monday. But that was little consolation to those who had to cope with the fact that temperatures were expected to dip close to the freezing mark overnight.
NB Power reported 6,600 customers without power, mostly in the western part of New Brunswick.
Andy Morton, a spokesman for New Brunswick's Emergency Measures Organization, said the storm left its dangerous mark over a vast swath of territory.
"Certainly we would want people to stay on alert because there's still the possibility of debris on the road if they're travelling, or downed power lines that might be live," he said.
In Prince Edward Island, more than 10,000 Maritime Electric customers were without power early Sunday, most of them in Kings County. The Confederation Bridge was closed for about an hour at the height of the storm
Noel also delivered heavy rain, with 130 millimetres reported in one small community in northern Cape Breton. Other parts of the Maritimes received between 60 mm and 90 mm.
Emergency officials said they were relieved to see the storm move on, but they were quick to praise residents for preparing for the storm — something few did before Juan slammed into the area.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre in Dartmouth, N.S., received reports Sunday of many downed power lines, a road being washed out near Eastern Passage, N.S., bricks torn from the side of one building and a trailer home in Dartmouth had its roof peeled back like a tin can.
The massive weather system left the region by noon and headed across the Gulf of St. Lawrence to central Labrador, moving at about 60 kilometres per hour.
Although the worst passed early for Nova Scotia, residents were warned to stay away from the shorelines as heavy waves were expected to pound the coastline.
"The coastline from the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia to the eastern shore of Nova Scotia is highly prone to these very large waves coming in from the south," said Chris Fogarty, a meteorologist with the hurricane centre.
Wind warnings remained in effect for Nova Scotia, parts of New Brunswick, P.E.I., Isle de la Madeleine, and parts of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The hurricane centre said peak winds at Wreckhouse in Newfoundland and Labrador — one of the windiest places in the world — were recorded at 180 km/h.
Even before the full effect of the storm hit Atlantic Canada late Saturday and early Sunday, Noel made itself known.
Nearly all flights leaving and arriving at the Halifax Robert L. Stanfield International Airport were cancelled Saturday evening along with some Sunday morning.
170,000 homes without power
The Daily News
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Nova Scotia Power crews are working to bring back power to the 170,000 homes still without power because of post tropical storm Noel.
Of those homes, an approximate 50,000 of them are in HRM. The homes without power are scattered throughout the municipality.
NSP spokeswoman Margaret Murphy said the utility is bringing in extra crews from as far away as Quebec to help restore power.
"For most everywhere in Nova Scotia, we're saying that many customers will have their power back on late Monday," Murphy said.
The QEII Health Sciences Centre was forced to use power from generators.
The police are warning people to be careful near downed lines.
"RCMP want to remind the public that there is several power lines down and outages within the HRM and to treat all intersections where lights are out as four way stops," Cpl. Joe Taplin said.
Mayor Peter Kelly said residents seem well prepared for the storm and said it was beneficial that it hit overnight and on a weekend.
"Compared to (Hurricane) Juan, we did get off considerably better," Kelly said.
An additional 50-100 HRM fire services volunteers are also helping to clear debris and trees.
Latest Update from CHC(9:00ADT)
POST-TROPICAL STORM NOEL INFORMATION STATEMENT ISSUED BY
THE CANADIAN HURRICANE CENTRE OF ENVIRONMENT CANADA AT 9.00 AM AST
SUNDAY 04 NOVEMBER 2007.
THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 12.00 NOON AST
..HIGH WINDS FROM POST-TROPICAL STORM NOEL MOVING ACROSS THE
MARITIMES..CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE IN THE MARITIMES THIS MORNING..
1. CURRENT POSITION, STRENGTH, CENTRAL PRESSURE AND MOTION
AT 9.00 AM AST... POST-TROPICAL STORM NOEL WAS LOCATED NEAR
LATITUDE 47.5 N AND LONGITUDE 64.3 W... ABOUT 55 NAUTICAL MILES OR
100 KM EAST NORTHEAST OF CHATHAM. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS
ARE ESTIMATED AT 65 KNOTS... 120 KM/H... (OVER THE GULF OF ST
LAWRENCE) AND CENTRAL PRESSURE AT 968 MB. NOEL IS MOVING NORTH
NORTHEAST AT 35 KNOTS... 65 KM/H.
2. FORECAST POSITION, CENTRAL PRESSURE AND STRENGTH
DATE TIME LAT LON MSLP MAX WIND
ADT MB KTS KMH
NOV 04 9.00 AM 47.5N 64.3W 968 65 120 POST-TROPICAL
NOV 04 2.00 PM 50.6N 62.4W 969 60 111 POST-TROPICAL
NOV 04 8.00 PM 53.9N 60.1W 970 60 111 POST-TROPICAL
NOV 05 2.00 AM 57.0N 58.5W 970 55 102 POST-TROPICAL
NOV 05 8.00 AM 59.2N 57.2W 971 55 102 POST-TROPICAL
NOV 05 2.00 PM 62.0N 56.3W 972 50 93 POST-TROPICAL
NOV 05 8.00 PM 64.7N 55.8W 977 50 93 POST-TROPICAL
ALTHOUGH WEAKENING POST-TROPICAL NOEL CONTINUES AS A POWERFUL STORM
MOVING THROUGH ATLANTIC CANADA. THE STORM CENTRE IS EXPECTED TO EXIT
THE NORTHERN GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE EARLY THIS AFTEROON AND PASS
THROUGH LABRADOR THIS EVENING AND THE LABRADOR SEA WATERS MONDAY.
3. PUBLIC WEATHER IMPACTS AND WARNINGS SUMMARY
A SUMMARY OF IMPACTS AND WEATHER STATISTICS CAN BE FOUND IN OUR
LAST INTERMEDIATE BULLETIN ISSUED AT 6 AM AND IN SPECIAL WEATHER
SUMMARY BULLETINS FOR THE VARIOUS PROVINCES.
WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES AND SOME INFRASTRUCTURE DAMAGE HAVE BEEN
REPORTED IN NOVA SCOTIA DUE TO WIND AND LARGE COASTAL WAVES. SOME
LOCALIZED RAINFALL-RELATED FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED FROM NEW
BRUNSWICK AND NOVA SCOTIA.
PEAK WINDS AT WRECKHOUSE NEWFOUNDLAND REACHED 180 KM/H THIS
MORNING WHILE MCNABS ISLAND AND BEAVER ISLAND NOVA SCOTIA BOTH
GUSTED TO 135 KM/H. WE ALSO HAD AN UNOFFICIAL REPORT OF 130 MM OF
RAIN AT SMELT BROOK NOVA SCOTIA ON THE NORTHERN PORTION OF CAPE
BRETON.
WIND WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR NOVA SCOTIA.. PEI.. MAGDALEN
ISLANDS.. PORTIONS OF NEWFOUNDLAND.. SOUTHERN AND EASTERN NEW
BRUNSWICK.. PORTIONS OF THE GASPÉ PENINSULA.. ANTICOSTI ISLAND..
AND PORTIONS OF THE NORTH SHORE OF THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE.
RAINFALL WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST NEW
BRUNSWICK PORTIONS OF THE GASPÉ PENINSULA ANTICOSTI ISLAND AND
PORTIONS OF THE NORTH SHORE OF THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE.
SNOWFALL WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF THE GASPÉ
PENINSULA AND SOUTHEASTERN QUÉBEC.. AND PORTIONS OF LABRADOR.
HEAVY POUNDING SURF REMAINS ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA
AND SOUTH-FACING COASTLINES AROUND NEWFOUNDLAND..CAPE BRETON..AND
AREAS AROUND THE GULF OF ST LAWRENCE.
THE PUBLIC IS ADVISED NOT TO VENTURE TOO CLOSE TO THE SHORELINE
ALONG THE ATLANTIC COAST OF NOVA SCOTIA SINCE WAVES WILL REMAIN VERY
DANGEROUS THROUGHOUT THE MORNING. WIND GUSTS STILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO CAUSE FURTHER TREE DAMAGE THIS MORNING ACROSS NOVA SCOTIA..PEI
AND EASTERN NEW BRUNSWICK.
4. MARINE WEATHER IMPACTS AND WARNINGS SUMMARY
THE HURRICANE FORCE WIND WARNINGS WILL BE DOWNGRADED AS THE STORM
MOVES NORTH. STORM WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MOST MARINE WATERS
AROUND ATLANTIC CANADA. VERY HIGH SEAS WILL PERSIST WITH SIG WAVES
NEAR 8 M OVER SOUTHERN NOVA SCOTIA WATERS AND WAVES BUILDING TO
NEAR 8 M IN THE NORTHEAST GULF OF ST LAWRENCE THIS AFTERNOON.
5. TECHNICAL DISCUSSION
A. ANALYSIS
SATELLITE AND RADAR SHOW A HOOK OF CLOUD AND RAIN RAPIDLY MOVING
NORTHEAST. SURFACE PRESSURE PATTERN LOCATES THE STORM CENTRE IN THE
WESTERN GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE IN THE OUTER CHALEUR-MISCOU MARINE AREA.
B. PROGNOSTIC
WE CONTINUE WITH BASIC TRACK FROM 3 AM PACKAGE. RECORD HIGH MAXIMUM
TEMPERATURE OF 19.3 DEGREES AT YARMOUTH AT 11 PM LAST EVENING
WAS AN INDICATION OF THE WARM AIR STILL ASSOCIATED WITH THE SYSTEM.
ANY WARM CORE REMAINING SHOULD START DISSIPATING TODAY AS PER THE
GEM.
C. PUBLIC WEATHER
NOTHING ADDITIONAL.
D. MARINE WEATHER
GIVEN THE TROPICAL HISTORY OF THIS STORM..THE CANADIAN HURRICANE
CENTRE WILL CONTINUE TO PREPARE STORM BULLETINS TODAY.
END FOGARTY/BOWYER
Updates from CHC at 3:.00 AM Saturday 04 November 2007
WOCN31 CWHX 040600
Post-tropical storm Noel information statement issued by the
Canadian hurricane centre of Environment Canada at 3.00 AM AST
Sunday 04 November 2007.
The next statement will be issued by 9.00 AM AST
...Highest winds from post-tropical storm Noel set to lash
The Maritimes this morning...
1. Current position, strength, central pressure and motion
At 2.00 AM ADT... Post-tropical storm Noel was located near
Latitude 43.6 N and longitude 66.2 W... About 15 nautical miles
Or 30 km southwest of Yarmouth . Maximum sustained winds are
Estimated at 75 knots... 139 km/h... And central pressure at 967
MB. Noel is moving north northeast at 34 knots... 63 km/h.
2. Forecast position, central pressure and strength
Date time lat lon MSLP Max wind
AST MB kts kmh
Nov 04 2.00 AM 43.6N 66.2W 967 75 139 post-tropical
Nov 04 9.00 AM 46.9N 64.6W 965 70 130 post-tropical
Nov 04 3.00 PM 50.6N 62.4W 965 60 111 post-tropical
Nov 04 9.00 PM 53.9N 60.1W 966 60 111 post-tropical
Nov 05 3.00 AM 57.0N 58.5W 968 55 102 post-tropical
Nov 05 9.00 AM 59.2N 57.2W 969 55 102 post-tropical
Nov 05 3.00 PM 62.0N 56.3W 972 50 93 post-tropical
Nov 05 9.00 PM 64.7N 55.8W 977 50 93 post-tropical
Nov 06 3.00 AM 67.4N 55.3W 983 45 83 post-tropical
Although Noel is a post-tropical storm we expect it to be
Accompanied by hurricane force winds. The public is advised not to
focus on the actual track of the storm centre since the high winds
are extending very far from the track line itself.
3. Public weather impacts and warnings summary
The storm circulation is remarkably large..Affecting all of Atlantic
Canada and parts of New England.
Wind warnings remain in effect for Nova Scotia..Pei..Eastern and
Southern parts of New Brunswick..The Magdalen Islands..And parts of
Newfoundland and Québec. The heaviest rainfall is now limited to
Areas well west..North and east of the storm center. Heavy snow is
even occurring over parts of Labrador where snowfall warnings have
been posted.
The strongest winds are expected to be in the Newfoundland Wreckhouse
Area and in Les Suetes in the Cape Breton Highlands...100 km/h
gusting to 160. 140 km/h damaging wind gusts are forecast over parts
of Nova Scotia this morning. A peak wind of 117 km/h was reported at
mcnab's island at 06Z.
A peak significant wave height of 14 m was measured by buoy 44011 on
Georges Bank not far east of the storm center. We are warning that
these energetic waves will create dangerous pounding surf conditions
along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia this morning and into the
afternoon. We advise people to exercise extreme caution near these
shores. Media reports have alerted us to a High Level of interest in
these waves by the public and we advise against anyone testing these
waters or even going near the shore.
Storm surge is unlikely to be a major problem because tides are
running lower than normal. We do not expect total water levels to be
much above high astronomical tide.
Damage/impacts...
Where wind gusts to and above hurricane force (120-140 km/h) are
Forecast..Expect tree limbs and branches to break which will likely
lead to downed power lines and power interruptions. Some trees will
likely be uprooted. These winds will cause damage to roofing and
cladding material on some homes. Some signage could also suffer
Damage with winds gusting this high. Also..With 9-13-metre waves
Expected along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia... And upwards of
8 metres in the northeast gulf of st. Lawrence later today. Coastal
erosion of some beaches is likely with possible damage to wharves
And docks.
There have been reports of tree damage and power outages in the
Halifax area late tonight. There was also a report of a roof lifted
off a trailer home somewhere in the city.
The rainfall threat is almost over..But in some parts of
New Brunswick and western Nova Scotia where some additional rain
Is expected this morning..Localized flooding in prone areas is
Likely where leaf litter from the storm has clogged storm drains.
4. Marine weather impacts and warnings summary
Hurricane force wind warnings are in effect for southwestern
Maritime waters and most Gulf of St Lawrence waters. Storm and gale
warnings are in effect for remaining waters of the Maritimes and
Newfoundland and for southern Labrador as well as for some st.
Lawrence river waters.
5. Technical discussion
A. Analysis
The center of the storm is racing toward western Nova Scotia at
forecast issue time. It appears to be a bit farther east than
Earlier expected..But not enough to make a big difference in the
forecast.
B. Prognostic
The gem regional model..Principal guidance for this
Forecast..Initialized the storm about 10 MB too high. Accordingly..
We maintain our current intensity forecast and bump-up the gem
Wind speeds. The storm still likely has remanants of a warm core
With gusty winds mixing down from the top of the boundary layer.
Overall forecast remains unchanged except for slightly eastward-
adjusted track forecast based on sat pix and model tracks. The
Most damaging winds are set to move across Nova Scotia at issue
Time. An intermediate bulletin will be issued by 6 AM AST.
C. Public weather
See above.
D. Marine weather
See above.
Given the tropical history of this storm..The canadian hurricane
centre will continue to prepare storm bulletins today.
End fogarty
Updates from CHC at 12.00 midnight ADT Saturday 03 November 2007
WOCN31 CWHX 040300
Post-tropical storm Noel intermediate information statement
Issued by the canadian hurricane centre of Environment Canada
At 12.00 midnight ADT Saturday 03 November 2007.
The next statement will be issued by 3.00 AM ADT
At midnight ADT... Post-tropical storm Noel was located near
Latitude 42.0 N and longitude 67.6 W... About 138 nautical miles
Or 255 km south southwest of Yarmouth Nova Scotia.
Noel is moving towards the north northeast at 33 knots... 61
Km/h. Maximum sustained winds are estimated at 75 knots... 139
Km/h and central pressure at 967 MB.
Rainfall has been heavy at times so far with amounts up to 66 mm at
Yarmouth as of 9 PM. About 42 mm has fallen so far in the Halifax
area. Near 35 mm has fallen over central and southern New Brunswick
with street flooding reported in Moncton. Peak winds along coastal
areas of Nova Scotia have been near 100 km/h. The highest wind so
far (with the exception of enhanced winds in Cape Breton and
southwestern Newfoundland) has been 100 km/h at Baccaro Point and
98 km/h in the western approach to Halifax harbour. Peak winds of
95 km/h have been registered at the Halifax airport. These winds have
Resulted in some power outages..For instance..In the Lunenburg area.
Offshore..Peak sig waves if 12.6 m have been reported at george's
bank buoy with peak winds of 58 knots from the south. Peak winds
Of 69 knots were reported at buoy 44008 from the north northwest
As the storm passed to the east. Sig waves have grown to 5.5 m at
The Halifax harbour buoy and will continue to grow overnight to near
11 m by daybreak.
Satellite imagery indicate that the center is tracking as forecast
At 9PM and is on a course for western Nova Scotia. The closest
approach to Nova Scotia is estimated to be around 4 or 5 AM. This
will be the time when the highest winds will begin moving across
The province.
Quikscat imagery showed that there are two zones of high wind..One
well ahead of the storm giving east to southeasterlies which were
experienced over the Maritimes this evening. The second primary wind
jet appears closer to the storm in the south and southwesterlies.
Between the wind jets there is a slight drop-off in wind and in the
rainfall as well. A third area of strong north to northwest winds
near hurricane force exists on the western side of the storm.
Public and marine interests are advised to continue to monitor
forecasts and warnings issued for their region by Environment Canada.
End fogarty