Key Takeaways:
- A similar atmospheric river that pounded British Columbia may dump a month’s worth of rain on parts of Nova Scotia in 36 hours.
- Starting Monday evening, the north and eastern portions of mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton are predicted to get 100-150 mm of rain, with more significant amounts possible in certain regions.
In November, Antigonish receives about 130 mm of rain on average.
Read Also: Nova Scotia’s hemlock Maritimes records 532-year-old oldest tree
Winds blowing from 90 to 110 km/h are expected to exacerbate the situation in the same area. Halifax, which receives an average of 139 millimeters of rain in November, is forecast to receive 50-100 mm of rain and 60-80 km/h winds.
An atmospheric river is a lengthy, flowing band of intense moisture that carries water vapor, similar to how a river transports water. These “rivers” in the sky are usually between 400 and 600 kilometers broad and more than 1,500 kilometers long.
We may thank a perfect storm of weather systems for supplying us with an atmospheric river after avoiding hurricanes this year. A trough in the jet stream has formed, sending some of those winds south, which are being blocked by a high-pressure system off the coast of Greenland.
As the energy from the trough strives to disperse with nowhere to go, powerful winds are building along the ridges of those two systems. Meanwhile, the system formed above us draws moisture from an extensive, complicated low-pressure system that stretches down to the tropics, creating an atmospheric river.
“It’s ideal for funneling this sub-tropical moisture into the trough as it pushes into Nova Scotia, allowing for heavy rain,” said Allister Aalders, Saltwire’s weather specialist. “It’s also spawning a secondary low-pressure system south of Nova Scotia, which is helping to improve the weather.” “There is nowhere for the low to go.”
On Monday, the province’s Emergency Management Office warned residents about potential flooding, storm surges along the coast, and power outages. According to Steven Scannell, community development director, public works crews have been cleaning debris out of streets and storm drains in preparation for the impending storm.
The staff has been placed on standby as a combination of wind and rain is expected to hit the area in earnest Monday night into Tuesday.
Source: saltwire News
