Article contentBREEZY WEEKEND ON THE WATERArticle content If you have a ferry crossing scheduled for this weekend, Sheerr says to check the marine forecasts early and often as swells on the Cabot Strait may have the potential to impact service. CONTRIBUTEDArticle contentWhile Sheerr believes the impact of Erin’s onshore wind and rain will be relatively minimal, he says the seas are likely to be much choppier than normal and are likely to impact offshore activities in waters across the province’s coasts.Article content“This will obviously have some marine impacts,” he said.Article content“I’m sure the offshore oil platforms are getting ready to deal with this. When storms of this magnitude, even hurricanes or hurricanes becoming extra tropical cyclones, go through this process, they expand in size and they do generate a generally large field of waves. We are going to see some large waves primarily for the eastern side of the island and the Burin Peninsula and that looks like it would be for Saturday into Sunday.”Article contentFor anybody planning to partake in the food fishery or take a ferry ride this weekend, Sheerr recommends exercising safe judgment and checking marine conditions early and often to see if plans may be impacted. Article contentArticle content“Offshore, we’re talking about wave heights of three to five metres in relative close proximity to Newfoundland.Article content“It will get higher as you get closer to the storm centre. If folks are going to partake in the recreational food fishery, I’d be very sure to check the latest marine forecast. The other thing you might want to do is check with Marine Atlantic. Right now they are saying there are no scheduled delays. I don’t know what their threshold is for waves, but they’re looking at three and four-metre waves in the Cabot Strait maybe Saturday into Sunday.” Article content‘HARD TO SAY’ if NL is in for a harsh hurricane seasonArticle content While relatively rare, damaging tropical storms and hurricanes can reach Newfoundland and Labrador, like post-tropical storm Fiona did when it struck Port aux Basques in southwestern Newfoundland in September 2022. ContributedArticle contentHurricane Erin is the fifth named storm and first major hurricane of the annual Atlantic hurricane season, which typically stretches from June to November during the period when tropical and non-tropical storms are the most active over the Atlantic Ocean. Article contentArticle contentSheerr says it’s difficult to predict how this year’s hurricane season will play out for Newfoundland and Labrador, but says there are no immediate indications to suggest another storm is brewing at this point in time.Article content“It’s really hard to say,” Sheerr said.Article content“Newfoundland and Labrador is really no stranger to tropical systems. Other than Erin taking a close-ish path, nothing suggests we’re going to see any tropical systems beyond that in the near term.”Article contentPredicting the severity and path of tropical storms can often be challenging because their behaviour typically changes as these volatile weather systems approach the continental United States. Article contentOnshore weather patterns have the potential to influence these incoming storms, sometimes helping to keep them at bay, but sometimes working to draw a hurricane closer to shore.Article content“There could be weather systems coming from the northern part of Canada that could either steer that away or essentially phase with it and pull it closer to the coast, which is exactly what happened with Hurricane Fiona,” Sheerr explained.
Hurricane Erin not expected to make landfall in NL
