Tropical Wind and Rainstorm Philippe spreading wind, rain across northern New England, Atlantic Canada
Philippe is transitioning to more of a winter-style storm, but it will still pack a powerful punch as it strikes in the zone from Maine to New Brunswick and southern Nova Scotia this weekend, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. The potent tropical wind and rainstorm will unleash flash flooding, high winds and coastal flooding as it rolls northwestward toward the region this weekend.
Philippe is currently located over Down East Maine and will be moving out of the region quickly during the day today. The system remains poorly organized with the bulk of the drenching and gusty thunderstorms occurring to the east of the center. For this reason, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is no longer referring to Philippe as a full-blown tropical storm.
This image of Tropical Wind and Rain storm Philippe was captured on Sunday, Oct. 8. (AccuWeather Enhanced RealView™ Satellite)
As accurately predicted by AccuWeather, Philippe made a northward turn after bringing torrential rain, flash flooding, mudslides and washouts to parts of the Leeward Islands earlier this week. Philippe continued to the north, where it brought drenching rainfall to Maine and other areas of the Northeast as it interacted with a cold front. The latest AccuWeather Eye Path® takes Philippe inland over Maine and into Quebec, Canada, through Sunday night as a tropical wind and rainstorm.
Due to the anticipated impacts of heavy rainfall and gusty winds, Philippe has been rated "less than one" on the AccuWeather RealImpact™ Scale for Hurricanes in New England and Atlantic Canada.
Philippe is not likely to have the same level of impact on Atlantic Canada and Maine that Lee did a few weeks ago. Lee was once a powerful Category 5 hurricane with winds of 165 mph. Even though Lee lost a considerable amount of wind intensity prior to landfall in New Brunswick, it still had plenty of leftover energy, causing it to stir angry seas and produce heavy rainfall. More than 200,000 utility customers lost power in Nova Scotia alone from Lee.
SEE ALSO: More on Maine, Atlantic Canada hurricane history
What to expect from Philippe in terms of wind
Philippe is a much less intense system when compared to Lee, but its interaction with a non-tropical system will cause it to unleash a considerable amount of rain.
"Because of Philippe's track and its transition upon nearing North America, the strongest winds capable of causing property damage and power outages will be near and to the northeast of the center as it moves ashore from late Saturday to early Sunday," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
A broad zone of tropical-storm-force wind gusts, ranging from 40 to 60 mph (60 to 100 km/h) will extend from northeastern Maine through much of the Gulf of St. Lawrence region in Canada. The AccuWeather Local StormMax™ for Philippe in Maine and Atlantic Canada is 70 mph (115 km/h), which is just shy of hurricane strength.
Philippe to pack torrential rain
The bulk of the rain associated directly with Philippe will focus from Maine to southeastern Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. A general 1-4 inches (25-100 mm) of rain will fall in this area with locally higher amounts. Because the landscape is still fairly wet following recent storms, quick runoff can lead to flash flooding, mudslides, washouts and flooding in urban areas and along small streams.
The combination of heavy rain, strong winds and above-normal tides can make for nasty travel conditions around Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Saint John, New Brunswick.
The heaviest rain will fall in southern Quebec, where the front and Philippe will become intertwined. A general zone of 4-8 inches (100-200 mm) of rain will fall in this area, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 10 inches (250 mm). Montreal and Quebec City may fall within the zone of the heaviest rain and could endure significant flash flooding.
Long-lasting chill to follow Philippe
Philippe's interaction with the jet stream will lead to an extended period of November-like weather for much of the Northeast and Atlantic Canada next week.
Gusty west to northwest winds will add to the chill. This follows an extended period of late summerlike conditions much of this week.
Snow is even in the AccuWeather forecast for parts of Quebec, while higher elevations of Upstate New York may see some wet snowflakes mix in at times.
Is there anything else to watch in the tropical Atlantic?
As far as tropical development elsewhere over the Atlantic basin, AccuWeather meteorologists will be watching two areas in the upcoming week or so.
One area will be associated with a disturbance that moves off the coast of Africa this weekend and could evolve early next week over the central Atlantic. Another zone will be close to the U.S. and more specifically over the Gulf of Mexico later next week. This area may evolve from energy that spills across Mexico from tropical activity in the Pacific.
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