Mother Nature is playing Grinch in Atlantic Canada, where yet another storm is expected to stop pre-holiday ferry sailings to Newfoundland and wash away hopes of a white Christmas.
Most of the region was under weather advisories on Monday, bracing for a mix of precipitation, wind and pounding waves. Parts of Cape Breton were expecting up to 70 millimetres of rain, and the New Brunswick coast north from Bouctouche was bracing for a powerful storm surge.
David Phillips, senior climatologist for Environment Canada, noted that three storms have hit the region in quick succession "like bowling balls." And they came after months of unnaturally high levels of precipitation. Looking at the region as a whole, September through November was the third wettest for Atlantic Canada since the country began keeping national records in the 1940s. That meant the latest storms assaulted a region where the rivers were already swollen and the ground saturated.
"This particular storm features a litany of misery … there's no escaping it, it really is a blast," Mr. Phillips said, predicting that Atlantic Canada will be one of the few places in Canada not to have a white Christmas this year.
"At this time of year, there's an element that makes it more painful … it seems so unfair," he said.
Also working against the seasonal spirit is the temporary docking of ferries that do the run between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland after predictions of seven-to-nine metre waves. Marine Atlantic spokeswoman Tara Laing said on Monday that the current forecast suggested a 72-hour stop would be necessary. This would prevent some passengers who had booked ahead from making their passage before Christmas.
"Nobody wants to be the bearer of bad news and we're really hoping this weather system is less severe than they've forecast," she said.
Brian Button, mayor of the Newfoundland town of Channel-Port aux Basques, where the ferry docks, said weather-related problems are common, but that the timing makes this one difficult.
"Anxiety is setting in because every day is getting closer to Christmas," he said.
Mr. Button noted that many Newfoundlanders working elsewhere travel home for the holidays. But with heavy seas stopping the ferry and high winds putting flight schedules at risk many are wondering if their relatives will be able to return.
"They're a little, we use a word here in Newfoundland, they're a little antsy," he said.
In New Brunswick, Karl Wilmot, a public safety officer with the province's Emergency Measures Organization, said that the current forecast doesn't suggest renewed flooding around Fredericton and in the southwest of the province. But he said that officials are "on guard" and citizens were urged to have 72-hour emergency preparedness kits, along with fuelled-up vehicles, cash and knowledge of evacuation routes.
"It's a major situation, there's no doubt about it," he said.
And in a statement, Nova Scotia Minister of the Emergency Management Office Ramona Jennex warned of rough weather leading to storm surges and hazardous driving conditions.
"The risks are real," she said. "Nova Scotians and holiday visitors to our province should be cautious, especially around the coastline and on the highways. Storm surges are a particular worry for the next day and a half."
Oliver Moore