Hold on to your shorts.
Hurricane Helene won’t hit Nova Scotia, but it’ll bring summer- like temperatures to the province.
“It’s going to give us an extended period of sunny, warm weather with the humidex going back to 35 by Saturday or Sunday,” said Cindy Day, SaltWire Network’s chief meteorologist, on Monday.
Helene is travelling up the Atlantic Ocean and is not expected to make landfall.
The Category 2 hurricane, building from the coast of Africa, had winds up to 165 kilometres per hour by Monday afternoon.
“Right now, although we’re kind of surrounded and there’s a lot of activity in the Atlantic, we’re well-positioned,” said Day.
In front of Helene, hurricane Florence is expected to hit the Carolina coastlines late Thursday night.
As of Monday afternoon, Florence had top winds at 185 km/h and is rapidly intensifying, moving at 20 km/h. It’s anticipated to build into a Category 4 hurricane.
The governors of North and South Carolina and Virginia declared states of emergency and are asking residents to evacuate.
North Carolina has only been hit by one Category 4 hurricane: Hazel in 1954.
“(Florence) could shoot moisture up the Mississippi Valley and that could bring us some much needed rain a week from (Monday),” said Day.
Hurricane Isaac, on track toward the Caribbean islands, is not expected to affect Nova Scotia.
The computer tracks for all three hurricanes have been consistent for about a week now, said the meteorologist.
Day predicts the Maritimes’ hurricane season, which starts in mid-September, will be an active one.
“That doesn’t mean we’ll have many up our way, but they’ll be active in that basin where they develop,” she said.
Atlantic Canada’s sea surface temperatures are at almost record- setting levels, resulting in stronger systems if headed toward those waters.
“In nature it’s funny because ... for someone’s misery there’s always really good weather on either side of the storm,” said the meteorologist.
With files from The Associated Press
