The effects of Hurricane Sandy in Canada included rainfall and high waves across much of eastern Canada.
Preparations
The Canadian Hurricane Centre issued its first preliminary statement on Hurricane Sandy on October 25. The statement was aimed at all of Eastern Canada from Southern Ontario to the Canadian Maritimes.[1] Forecasters predicted that Sandy would bring rain to Ontario and Quebec, possibly turning to snow in Central Ontario.[2]
Additional warnings were issued by the Canadian Red Cross, Emergency Management Ontario, and numerous Conservation Authorities, which warned residents in Ontario to be prepared for flooding and power outages in the wake of the storm.[5]
On October 31, rainfall warnings were posted for all counties of New Brunswick that are not adjacent to Maine, including the cities of Saint John and Moncton, as well as Halifax and central Nova Scotia.[12][13] Environment Canada also issued a wind warning for the Northern Quebec community of Umiujaq.[14]
As of early October 30, most of Southern Ontario was experiencing sustained winds of tropical storm force from Windsor to Ottawa, with gusts to 80 km/h (50 mph) or higher. One woman was killed after being struck by a piece of flying debris, a Staples Inc. sign, in the Junction neighbourhood in the west end of Toronto.[18][19] The strongest ground-level winds were along Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, where gusts were measured at 105 km/h (65 mph). A 121 km/h (75 mph) gust was measured on top of the Bluewater Bridge.[20]
The Emerald Princess, a cruise ship carrying 3,780 passengers and 1,200 crew members, sought shelter at Saguenay, Quebec, which was just north of Sandy's northern edge and has a naturally protected harbour. It is the largest ship ever to have docked at Saguenay.[26]
Around 14,000 customers in Nova Scotia lost power during the height of the storm.[27]
An F0 tornado was also reported in Mont-Laurier, Quebec on October 31 with minimal damage, one of the latest tornadoes in the year ever recorded in Canada and one of very few to be linked to a tropical cyclone (or the remnants thereof).[28]