MATTHEW NOT MUCH THREAT TO THE MARITIMES Florida could get a double bout

Posted on 10/06/2016 | About Canada

Despite its brawn and fury, Hurricane Matthew no longer poses much of a threat to Canada's East Coast, the Canadian Hurricane Centre said Wednesday after it dropped a tropical cyclone statement from its website.

Meteorologist Bob Robichaud said the powerful, slow-moving storm is now expected to veer into the Atlantic Ocean after scraping along the coast of Florida, and it may double back for another run at the state later this week.
Earlier track models had suggested the storm - listed as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday - could slam into the Maritimes late on the holiday weekend, prompting many marinas and ports in the region to begin securing boats and cargo.
Robichaud said a low-pressure system had pushed the jet stream south from the Great Lakes, which meant the storm could have hitched a ride with steering currents in the upper atmosphere and headed into Atlantic Canada.
But a high pressure system moved the jet stream north before Matthew could get a lift.
“We no longer expect this to come anywhere near us on the weekend,” said Robichaud, adding that the high-pressure system will effectively block the storm's progress north.
“For us, for the long weekend, it's looking pretty good.”
Still, Robichaud said the hurricane could change course again.
“I wouldn't turn my back on this storm just yet.”
Father out to sea, the 14th named storm of the season, tropical storm Nicole, isn't expected to have much of an impact on Matthew or Canada. Nicole isn't even expected to become a hurricane.
Meanwhile, hurricane Matthew has already caused deadly devastation in Haiti and other parts of the Caribbean - and mass evacuations were well underway Wednesday along the US East Coast as the storm moved north of the Bahamas.
And even though Matthew remains far from Canadian shores, Maritimers were getting ready Wednesday for a bout of nasty weather - just in case.
Matthew formed as a tropical storm Sept. 28 and quickly developed into a hurricane the following day. During a brief period last week, it had reached Category 5 status, churning out sustained winds over 252 kilometres per hour.