Ike over Cuba

Effects of Hanna in Manteo, North Carolina on the Outer Banks this past Saturday.
AP Photo

What remains of tropical storm Hanna is moving out to sea this morning east of Newfoundland. The storm dumped nearly 150mm of rain on parts of New Brunswick, at times over 30mm an hour. Some roads have been washed out, basements flooded, and rivers are running at bank full. In Nova Scotia 40-70mm fell with 70km/h winds that cut power in places. Hanna was a quick moving system which lessened the impact on the region. Across New England it was much of the same, very heavy rain Saturday night with flooding, trees and power lines down.

Hurricane Ike this morning is moving across Cuba from east to west. The storm is encountering the mountainous terrain of the central part of the island country, and has weakened to a category 2 hurricane. Its 125mph winds and storm surge moved inland last evening. Ike is expected to move back into the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday and will threaten the central Gulf by weeks end. Forecasters are eying the upper Texas coast as a possible US landfall, possibly near Galveston Island.

In eastern Ontario we are awaiting the arrival of a strengthening low pressure area from Ohio. The system is forecast to move down the St. Lawrence Valley on Tuesday with steady rain in the region. Look for 15-25mm of rain. Meanwhile today a cold front will slip across the valley later this afternoon. there is the risk of thunderstorms with the passage.