Powerful Teddy slams Atlantic Canada with driving rain, fierce wind and dangerous seas
By
Jake Sojda, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Sep 22, 2020 4:41 PM EDT
|
Updated Sep 24, 2020 8:57 AM EDT
A man dressed as Michael Myers from the movie Halloween stands at the shore in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as storm Teddy looms in the distance on Sept. 23.
Just two days after a close encounter with Bermuda, Teddy pounded Atlantic Canada early Wednesday with driving rain and howling winds, and the potent storm blasted through Nova Scotia and Newfoundland through Wednesday night.
The storm, a former major hurricane, made landfall around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday local time in the Sheet Harbour area of Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore, according to the CBC. The storm's landfall came about two hours ahead of schedule due to an increase in forward speed.
The utility company, Nova Scotia Power, said its crews worked overnight in the heavy rain and wind to restore power outages caused by Teddy. The CBC reported that about 16,000 customers had already gotten their power restored by Wednesday morning, but about 3,600 were still without power.
After weakening to a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, Teddy briefly regained strength and became a Category 2 hurricane once again Monday night before being downgraded once again on Tuesday.
At 9 p.m. AST Tuesday, Teddy completed the transition from a hurricane to an extratropical storm. By 11 a.m AST Wednesday, even though Teddy was no longer considered a hurricane, it was still packing powerful winds of 60 mph.
By 2 p.m. AST, Teddy was moving over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, located about 255 miles northeast of Halifax, and 50 miles west of Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland.
At 5 p.m. AST Wednesday, Teddy was roughly 50 miles of Port aux Basques, Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.
Teddy was heading toward the northwest coast of Newfoundland by 11 p.m. AST Wednesday, already more than 350 miles north-northwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The storm was still packing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.
AccuWeather forecasters warn that this transition does not mean that Teddy is any less powerful or dangerous.
A visible satellite view from GOES-16 of Teddy as it undergoes extratropical transition Tuesday morning, Sept. 22. (RAMMB/CIRA)
"Teddy has been influenced by a non-tropical storm system in the upper levels of the atmosphere," explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. "This gave Teddy some extra energy Monday night into Tuesday, causing it to restrengthen for a time. This is also caused it to undergo a process called 'extratropical transition,' where the structure of the storm changes, and it's technically no longer a [hurricane]."
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The Canadian Hurricane Centre discontinued all tropical storm watches and warnings for Nova Scotia on Wednesday afternoon, but kept a tropical storm warning in effect for Port Aux Basques to Francois, Newfoundland.
All warnings were dropped by 8 p.m. Wednesday evening.
Teddy maintained its wind intensity through Wednesday night as it moved away from Atlantic Canada.
"When a hurricane undergoes extratropical transition, the wind field expands outward even farther," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
Tuesday morning, when Teddy began the process of extratropical transition, the diameter of the tropical-storm-force wind field around Teddy was nearly 500 miles across. By Tuesday afternoon, it was around 700 miles across. Even as the wind intensity was gradually decreasing early Wednesday morning, the diameter of the tropical-storm force winds was still around 700 miles across.
Winds early Tuesday were already gusting to 30 mph in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. On Sable Island, Nova Scotia, winds were gusting past 50 mph. The center of Teddy was still over 350 miles away from both locations at the time.
Through Wednesday, peak wind gusts of 40-60 mph (64-97 km/h) continued across most of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and portions of New Brunswick and Quebec bordering the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The strongest wind gusts, near where the center moves across Nova Scotia and western Newfoundland, were expected to reach 60-80 mph (97-129 km/h) with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 85 mph (137 km/h).
Wednesday night wind gusts diminished from southwest to northeast.
Power outages and tree damage could be widespread across Atlantic Canada.
While powerful winter storms that can reach hurricane strength are not particularly uncommon across this region, a storm of this strength striking this time of year, when all the leaves are still on the trees, can lead to more damage.
The strongest winds are also capable of some structural damage, especially to any weaker buildings. Loose objects like yard furniture, toys, planters and trash cans can easily be tossed about in the wind.
Dorian tracked across Atlantic Canada in early September 2019 and brought widespread wind damage to the region including in Nova Scotia.
Along with the wind, dangerous seas were stirred up by Teddy. Wave heights near Teddy's center of circulation have been in excess of 20 feet. Even up and down the eastern shores of the United States, wave heights have been in the 5- to 7-foot range.
One National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoy in the open northern Atlantic off the coast of Nova Scotia reported a wave height of 35 feet early Tuesday. Another wave height of 40 feet was reported later in the day.
A graphic showing the extent of wave heights being churned up by Teddy on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. (AccuWeather)
(AccuWeather)
Seas were forecast to reach an incredible 50-75 feet (15-23 meters) Tuesday on the open sea off the coasts of New England and Nova Scotia. This will have a major impact on shipping, as any sea-going vessels that dare to enter this region will face extreme danger. Waves continued to reach heights of 25-50 feet through Tuesday night.
Waves reached 42 feet at a buoy just north of Teddy on Tuesday afternoon with winds gusting near 70 mph. The buoy is managed by NOAA's National Data Buoy Center.
Waves more than 40 feet high were reported at a buoy just north of the center of Teddy on Tuesday afternoon. (NOAA/NDBC)
While the most fearsome seas will remain offshore, coastal areas will still have to be prepared for storm surge and significant wave action.
"The southern coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland are no stranger to angry seas, and most of the towns sit in coves protected by rocky cliffs and barrier islands," said Anderson, AccuWeather's Lead Canada forecaster.
"However, with 30-foot waves even right to the coast and a large storm surge, any locations that are exposed and not sitting well above normal sea level could quickly become very dangerous to anyone caught there as Teddy moves through from later Tuesday through Wednesday."
Wind-driven heavy rain will also sweep across the region and can lead to some localized flooding, especially on streets and poor drainage areas. Rain had already arrived in Nova Scotia Tuesday morning and will spread northward into Newfoundland by later Tuesday afternoon.
Rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches (50-100 mm) were expected across central and eastern Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and southern and western portions of Newfoundland, with 1-2 inches (25-50 mm) stretching from eastern New Brunswick to the southeast coast of Labrador. Locally heavier rainfall was forecast to fall just to the west of the center in central Nova Scotia, where the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 6 inches (150 mm) is most likely.
Most leaves across the region are only just starting to change, but with such strong winds combined with the rain, it's also possible that enough leaves are blown down to clog some storm drains and trigger street flooding in urban areas.
Taking these impacts into consideration, Teddy is forecast to be a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes in Atlantic Canada.
In comparison to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which has been used by meteorologists for decades and classifies storms by wind speed only, the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale is based on a broad range of important factors. The scale covers not only wind speed, but flooding rain, storm surge as well as economic damage and loss. This communicates a more comprehensive representation of the potential impact of a storm to lives and livelihoods.
Teddy joins Beta currently dousing the Gulf Coast.
With months still left in the Atlantic hurricane season, more Greek letters are likely to be used. Last week, AccuWeather meteorologists upped their 2020 season predictions for the number of total storms to 28, which would tie the record number of named storms in the basin set in the notorious 2005 season.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Hurricane
Powerful Teddy slams Atlantic Canada with driving rain, fierce wind and dangerous seas
By Jake Sojda, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Sep 22, 2020 4:41 PM EDT | Updated Sep 24, 2020 8:57 AM EDT
A man dressed as Michael Myers from the movie Halloween stands at the shore in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as storm Teddy looms in the distance on Sept. 23.
Just two days after a close encounter with Bermuda, Teddy pounded Atlantic Canada early Wednesday with driving rain and howling winds, and the potent storm blasted through Nova Scotia and Newfoundland through Wednesday night.
The storm, a former major hurricane, made landfall around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday local time in the Sheet Harbour area of Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore, according to the CBC. The storm's landfall came about two hours ahead of schedule due to an increase in forward speed.
The utility company, Nova Scotia Power, said its crews worked overnight in the heavy rain and wind to restore power outages caused by Teddy. The CBC reported that about 16,000 customers had already gotten their power restored by Wednesday morning, but about 3,600 were still without power.
After weakening to a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, Teddy briefly regained strength and became a Category 2 hurricane once again Monday night before being downgraded once again on Tuesday.
At 9 p.m. AST Tuesday, Teddy completed the transition from a hurricane to an extratropical storm. By 11 a.m AST Wednesday, even though Teddy was no longer considered a hurricane, it was still packing powerful winds of 60 mph.
By 2 p.m. AST, Teddy was moving over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, located about 255 miles northeast of Halifax, and 50 miles west of Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland.
At 5 p.m. AST Wednesday, Teddy was roughly 50 miles of Port aux Basques, Newfoundland with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.
Teddy was heading toward the northwest coast of Newfoundland by 11 p.m. AST Wednesday, already more than 350 miles north-northwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland. The storm was still packing maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.
AccuWeather forecasters warn that this transition does not mean that Teddy is any less powerful or dangerous.
A visible satellite view from GOES-16 of Teddy as it undergoes extratropical transition Tuesday morning, Sept. 22. (RAMMB/CIRA)
"Teddy has been influenced by a non-tropical storm system in the upper levels of the atmosphere," explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. "This gave Teddy some extra energy Monday night into Tuesday, causing it to restrengthen for a time. This is also caused it to undergo a process called 'extratropical transition,' where the structure of the storm changes, and it's technically no longer a [hurricane]."
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
The Canadian Hurricane Centre discontinued all tropical storm watches and warnings for Nova Scotia on Wednesday afternoon, but kept a tropical storm warning in effect for Port Aux Basques to Francois, Newfoundland.
All warnings were dropped by 8 p.m. Wednesday evening.
Teddy maintained its wind intensity through Wednesday night as it moved away from Atlantic Canada.
"When a hurricane undergoes extratropical transition, the wind field expands outward even farther," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said.
Tuesday morning, when Teddy began the process of extratropical transition, the diameter of the tropical-storm-force wind field around Teddy was nearly 500 miles across. By Tuesday afternoon, it was around 700 miles across. Even as the wind intensity was gradually decreasing early Wednesday morning, the diameter of the tropical-storm force winds was still around 700 miles across.
Winds early Tuesday were already gusting to 30 mph in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. On Sable Island, Nova Scotia, winds were gusting past 50 mph. The center of Teddy was still over 350 miles away from both locations at the time.
Through Wednesday, peak wind gusts of 40-60 mph (64-97 km/h) continued across most of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and portions of New Brunswick and Quebec bordering the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The strongest wind gusts, near where the center moves across Nova Scotia and western Newfoundland, were expected to reach 60-80 mph (97-129 km/h) with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 85 mph (137 km/h).
Wednesday night wind gusts diminished from southwest to northeast.
Power outages and tree damage could be widespread across Atlantic Canada.
Related:
While powerful winter storms that can reach hurricane strength are not particularly uncommon across this region, a storm of this strength striking this time of year, when all the leaves are still on the trees, can lead to more damage.
The strongest winds are also capable of some structural damage, especially to any weaker buildings. Loose objects like yard furniture, toys, planters and trash cans can easily be tossed about in the wind.
Dorian tracked across Atlantic Canada in early September 2019 and brought widespread wind damage to the region including in Nova Scotia.
Along with the wind, dangerous seas were stirred up by Teddy. Wave heights near Teddy's center of circulation have been in excess of 20 feet. Even up and down the eastern shores of the United States, wave heights have been in the 5- to 7-foot range.
One National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration buoy in the open northern Atlantic off the coast of Nova Scotia reported a wave height of 35 feet early Tuesday. Another wave height of 40 feet was reported later in the day.
A graphic showing the extent of wave heights being churned up by Teddy on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. (AccuWeather)
Seas were forecast to reach an incredible 50-75 feet (15-23 meters) Tuesday on the open sea off the coasts of New England and Nova Scotia. This will have a major impact on shipping, as any sea-going vessels that dare to enter this region will face extreme danger. Waves continued to reach heights of 25-50 feet through Tuesday night.
Waves reached 42 feet at a buoy just north of Teddy on Tuesday afternoon with winds gusting near 70 mph. The buoy is managed by NOAA's National Data Buoy Center.
Waves more than 40 feet high were reported at a buoy just north of the center of Teddy on Tuesday afternoon. (NOAA/NDBC)
While the most fearsome seas will remain offshore, coastal areas will still have to be prepared for storm surge and significant wave action.
"The southern coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland are no stranger to angry seas, and most of the towns sit in coves protected by rocky cliffs and barrier islands," said Anderson, AccuWeather's Lead Canada forecaster.
"However, with 30-foot waves even right to the coast and a large storm surge, any locations that are exposed and not sitting well above normal sea level could quickly become very dangerous to anyone caught there as Teddy moves through from later Tuesday through Wednesday."
Wind-driven heavy rain will also sweep across the region and can lead to some localized flooding, especially on streets and poor drainage areas. Rain had already arrived in Nova Scotia Tuesday morning and will spread northward into Newfoundland by later Tuesday afternoon.
Rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches (50-100 mm) were expected across central and eastern Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and southern and western portions of Newfoundland, with 1-2 inches (25-50 mm) stretching from eastern New Brunswick to the southeast coast of Labrador. Locally heavier rainfall was forecast to fall just to the west of the center in central Nova Scotia, where the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 6 inches (150 mm) is most likely.
Most leaves across the region are only just starting to change, but with such strong winds combined with the rain, it's also possible that enough leaves are blown down to clog some storm drains and trigger street flooding in urban areas.
Taking these impacts into consideration, Teddy is forecast to be a 1 on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes in Atlantic Canada.
In comparison to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which has been used by meteorologists for decades and classifies storms by wind speed only, the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale is based on a broad range of important factors. The scale covers not only wind speed, but flooding rain, storm surge as well as economic damage and loss. This communicates a more comprehensive representation of the potential impact of a storm to lives and livelihoods.
Teddy joins Beta currently dousing the Gulf Coast.
With months still left in the Atlantic hurricane season, more Greek letters are likely to be used. Last week, AccuWeather meteorologists upped their 2020 season predictions for the number of total storms to 28, which would tie the record number of named storms in the basin set in the notorious 2005 season.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo