Fiona slams Canada’s Atlantic coast

Fiona’s sustained winds have dropped slightly to 80 mph, which is still equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.

The center warns that “significant impacts from high winds, storm surge, and heavy rainfall are still expected” from the storm, now considered a post-tropical cyclone.

Fiona is currently in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, roughly 100 miles (160 km) west-northwest of Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland, and is moving north toward Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. The highest recorded wind gust for Fiona so far is 111 mph (179 kph) in Arisaig, Nova Scotia.

“Fiona continues to produce hurricane-force winds, heavy rains, storm surge, and rough marine conditions across Atlantic Canada and the surrounding waters,” the hurricane center said. “Surface observations suggest that the minimum pressure has been rising, and is not estimated to be about 945mb, which is still extraordinarily low.”

Remember: In general, the lower the central pressure, the stronger the storm.

Fiona’s forward speed has slowed to 25 mph, which is below average for this region; traditionally, a storm at this latitude has a forward speed around 32 mph. The hurricane center also cautions that large swells generated by Fiona are expected to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions along the northeast coast of the Northeast US, Bermuda and Atlantic Canada over the next few days.