As Tropical Storm Lee heads for Maritime Canada, Halifax Stanfield Airport has issued a grounding advisory — all flights departing and arriving have been cancelled.
As for the storm itself, it is still packing maximum sustained winds nearing 75mph. The storm, about 150 miles west southwest of Halifax, remains dangerous enough that Environment Canada (https://weather.gc.ca/) has upgraded the Tropical Storm Watch to a Tropical Storm Warning for Prince Edward Island, Magdalen Islands and portions of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Landfall is expected later today.
According to a report from CNN, “Lee is expected to be at or just below hurricane strength when it reaches Nova Scotia later today. Weakening is forecast tonight and Sunday while Lee moves across Atlantic Canada,” the National Hurricane Center said Saturday in its 5 a.m. advisory, adding the storm has lost sufficient tropical characteristics to be considered a hurricane.
Along the U.S. Eastern seaboard, the post-tropical cyclone is still whipping hurricane force winds.
The most significant impacts on the US are the possibility of some coastal flooding and tropical-storm-force winds churning in coastal New England, particularly Maine and Massachusetts, where states of emergency have been declared. President Biden has authorized the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to step in to coordinate disaster relief and assistance for required emergency measures.
Among the larger airports, Boston/Logan has already cancelled 24% of its flights today. Fifty-five percent of flights at Halifax have been dumped. Portland (PWM) has lost about 35% of its schedule.
