The National Capital Region is bracing for Hurricane Jonas to be a monster storm that could hit the region and potentially devastatingly affect people’s lives and property.
It is the worst hurricane forecast in the Atlantic and the first to hit Canada in almost 30 years.
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be crazy,” said Donna, a 33-year-old Ottawa resident who asked that her last name not be used.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Donna said she was planning on buying a car before it was damaged and then trying to make it home in the next couple of days.
“I was hoping to buy a boat and go down to the bay for a weekend, and it’s just been a total disaster,” she said.
“My husband and I are not sure if we can survive without a boat.
The water is so muddy.”
The National Weather Service has already issued a tropical storm watch for the Atlantic.
The forecast is for an upper-level wind gust of 50 kilometres per hour and a sustained storm surge of more than 10 metres.
“It is going to move west, east, north and south across the region, and will bring storm surges of up to 20 metres,” the forecast says.
“A hurricane warning is in effect from 5 a.m. until 7 a.g. on Sunday, April 16.”
It will be a tropical cyclone in a tropical depression, but there is no immediate danger of that happening.
“This is a hurricane.
We’re still talking about an intense hurricane.
It’s not a category two hurricane,” said Chris Poulsen, a hurricane specialist with the National Weather Services.
“We’re going to have to make a judgement call on what kind of storm we’re going into.”
A Category 3 hurricane is a category four storm.
In the past decade, there have been 10 Category 3 hurricanes in the North Atlantic, according to a National Hurricane Center update last week.
There have also been two Category 2 hurricanes in Canada in 2016 and three in 2016 alone.
Poulson said it’s difficult to say how many people will be killed and injured as Jonas approaches.
But the number of people who will be affected by the storm is likely to be higher than what’s forecasted.
The National Hurricane Centre has forecast up to 1.2 million people will need to evacuate their homes and businesses by the time Jonas is expected to pass through.
“The main concern is that it’s a tropical low.
So a lot of people will stay in their homes for a couple of nights or a week,” Poulen said.
While the forecast is bad, the National Capital is not as far away as many people might think. “
You’re going be looking at a lot more homes that are totally destroyed.”
While the forecast is bad, the National Capital is not as far away as many people might think.
“As of this morning, I think the city of Ottawa is still open and I have a good feeling about the situation,” said Kevin, a 27-year old Ottawa resident.
“The forecast has been pretty good so far, but it could be a couple more days.”
Kevin is hoping to get home before Jonas makes landfall.
“Even if it does get to a Category 4, that’s a disaster,” he said.
