Hurricane Fiona is kicking up massive waves as it approaches Bermuda, where weather conditions are expected to worsen on Friday as the storm is heading toward Atlantic Canada.
Fiona’s march north comes after the storm devastated Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, where many residents are still without power and water days after Fiona hit.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported waves of about 50 feet as a sailboat sailed into the Atlantic on Thursday.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Bermuda as Fiona, a Category 4 hurricane, approaches. according to the National Hurricane Center. Hurricane conditions are expected in Bermuda Thursday night through Friday morning, bringing elevated coastal water levels, possible power outages and about two to four inches of rain, the center said.
Fiona is also expected to bring “life-threatening rip current and wave conditions” to the northeast coast of the US, the center said.
As of Friday morning, Fiona was located less than 200 miles west-southwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph and moving north-northeast at 21 mph, the center said. The storm is expected to pass to the west of the island on Thursday night before approaching the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Friday. By Saturday, it will be near Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
Hurricane Fiona targets Atlantic Canada
While the storm is expected to weaken on Friday, Fiona is still forecast to be “a large and powerful post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds” when it reaches Canada, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A hurricane watch has been issued for parts of Atlantic Canada, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, the Magdalena Islands and the coast of Newfoundland, according to the center.
Those areas are expected to see three to six inches of rain with local highs of up to 10 inches, which would cause potentially significant flooding, the center forecast.
Atlantic Canada is expected to “take the full brunt of Hurricane Fiona’s impacts this weekend” with some areas at risk of “extreme damage”. AccuWeather said.
“Fiona will bring widespread power outages due to high winds, flooding due to torrential rains and isolated storm surges, and massive seas offshore and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
SEE THE PEOPLE, PLACES SHOCKED:Hurricane Fiona floods houses and streets in Puerto Rico
Invest 98L tropical system under development
A developing tropical system it could become a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico by the middle of next week, forecasters warned Wednesday.
“This is the most significant threat to the continental United States that we’ve had this hurricane season,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
Most computer models predict that the system, Invest 98L, will be a tropical storm by the weekend in the Caribbean. Models show the system strengthening to a hurricane early next week. If it becomes a named storm, it would be named Hermine. Read more here.
— Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
HOW TO HELP:Mutual aid, non-profit organizations to support
Hurricane wind speeds:What is the wind speed scale of a hurricane? Breaking down how we classify storms.
Biden pledges to help Puerto Rico while residents still don’t have power or water
Days after Fiona arrived in Puerto Rico, about 62% of the 1.47 million electricity customers were still without power Thursday, and a third of the customers, more than 400,000, had no water service.
President Joe Biden said Thursday that he is committing the full force of the federal government to help the island recover from Fiona.
“We are with you. We are not going away,” Biden said.
Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority director Josué Colón said areas less affected by Fiona should have power restored early Friday, but officials did not say when other areas would have it.
More businesses, including grocery stores and gas stations, are temporarily closing as power outages drag on. Many residents are concerned about the availability of fuel and basic goods.
Gasoline was not available in Salinas after all gas stations closed Wednesday, according to community leader Wanda Ríos Colorado.
The Puerto Rico Department of Consumer Affairs said there is no fuel shortage, but rather an interruption in the system as a result of flooding, landslides and the island-wide power outage.
Some fuel stations were unable to reopen or unable to refill after the storm, officials said.
Fiona also destroyed up to 80% of Puerto Rico’s crops, including coffee crops that had just reached a successful harvest peak after Maria, according to the non-governmental humanitarian organization Mercy Corps.
Puerto Rico struggles to reach isolated areas
After destroying roads and bridges and causing mudslides, Fiona has stranded hundreds of Puerto Ricans as authorities work with religious groups and nonprofits to reach areas isolated by the storm to provide food, water and medicine. vital.
At least six municipalities have areas cut off by the storm, estimated Nino Correa, commissioner of the Puerto Rico emergency management agency.
Contributing: The Associated Press
