A soggy and blustery Halloween weekend is on the way for much of southern Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada — and meteorologists say Hurricane Melissa is partly to blame.
Forecasters are warning residents across the Maritimes to brace for 30 to 50 millimetres of rain on Friday, with even higher amounts possible in some areas. Southeastern gusts could reach up to 80 kilometres per hour across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island — and as high as 110 km/h along western Cape Breton from Margaree Harbour to Bay St. Lawrence.
“There remains some uncertainty as to where the highest rainfall amounts will occur, but significant totals are possible,” Environment Canada said Wednesday. The agency also urged residents to clear storm drains and gutters of fallen leaves and to secure Halloween decorations and garbage bins before the winds pick up.
In eastern Quebec, strong northeasterly winds and heavy rain are expected to persist through Friday and Saturday. Environment Canada said the exact track of the system remains unclear but noted that it could be influenced by the remnants of Hurricane Melissa as the storm moves northward toward Canadian waters.
According to the Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax, a large low-pressure system forming over the northeastern United States is expected to pull tropical moisture from Melissa, spreading gusty winds and rain across a wide stretch of the country — reaching as far west as southern Ontario.
“It will be a wet and windy Halloween and start to the weekend for many,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Chris Fogarty, “and for the most part, all that weather will not be from the hurricane.”
Fogarty noted that while Melissa’s core winds are expected to stay offshore, newer forecast models show the storm could track closer to Newfoundland than initially predicted. If that happens, eastern Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula could see stronger gusts and higher rainfall totals late Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Caribbean is still reeling from the hurricane’s destructive path. Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a powerful Category 5 storm, with winds reaching nearly 300 km/h. At least 25 people were reported dead in Haiti due to severe flooding in Petit-Goâve, while Cuba reported collapsed houses, blocked roads, and more than 735,000 people taking refuge in emergency shelters. Jamaica, too, was left battered, with widespread power outages and heavy damage across multiple regions.
As the storm moves northward, Canadians are being urged to stay alert — and to keep their umbrellas handy for what’s shaping up to be a dark, drenched, and blustery Halloween weekend.