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Weakened but dangerous, Dorian reaches Canada

Halifax and the region hit with heavy winds as potent post-hurricane system leaves 300,000 without power and knocks down a construction crane.

Winds from approaching Hurricane Dorian brought down a power line in Coldbrook, Nova Scotia on Sept. 7. Photo: Nova Scotia Department of Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal

The remnants of Hurricane Dorian battered southern Nova Scotia as the downgraded but still dangerous storm left 300,000 people without power, felled trees and dramatically brought down a construction crane in the downtown of the port city of Halifax. 

The core of the storm, now classified as a “very intense post-tropical system” by the Canadian Hurricane Centre sat just south of Halifax as of 7:15 eastern time on Sept, 7. Authorities expected Dorian to move north during the evening. So far there were no reports of injuries.

A truck on Highway 103 in Nova Scotia as seen by a provincial camera via the FreightWaves SONAR platform on Sept. 7.

Police advised motorists to stay off the roads if possible. Up-to-date information about Dorian and traffic conditions are also available on the FreightWaves SONAR platform.

Meanwhile, conditions were deteriorating near the coast. “Vessels, infrastructure, and equipment are at risk of damage in areas directly exposed to high waves and pounding surf. Mariners are advised to avoid affected shorelines,” the federal weather service warned.



Hurricane Dorian as seen headed toward Canada’s Atlantic coast on the FreightWaves SONAR platform at 2:55 p.m. EST on Sept. 7.

Dorian will continue over the Gulf of Saint Lawrence as a “potent” tropical storm into Sept. 8. The storm will affect a large swath of the region, including parts of Quebec, but not the Trans-Canada Highway – welcome news for truckers. 

Preparations at the port

At the Port of Halifax, scheduling remained “fluid,” with some vessels coming ahead of Dorian and others delaying their arrival until after the storm passes, said port spokesman Lane Farguson on Sept. 6, who did not provide details on the delays.

“We are watching the path of this storm closely and at this stage, procedures are being reviewed, preparations are being made and tenants are being contacted,” Farguson wrote in an email. “Safety is our top priority.”


The port has advised that piloting would be done on a case-by-case basis. The port and terminal operators have completed physical checks of the facilities and moved equipment and cargo away from the pier while securing anything that can’t be moved, Farguson wrote.

2 Comments

  1. kushal kumar

    News reports say that hurricane Dorian, which devastated Bahamas in the beginning of September 2019 , has now approached Nova Scotia in Canada on 8 September 2019. In this context , readers may like to know this Vedic astrology writer’s much prior predictive alert in article – “ Vedic astrology predictive alerts for Canada in coming year 2019” – brought to public domain widely last year 2018 in October. One of the predictive alerts which seems to be relating to arrival of hurricane turned strong cyclone Dorian in Nova Scotia on 8 September , 2019 , reads like this in the article :-
    “ 6. September –October in 2019 could bring hurricanes and storms causing massive floods and other problems in vulnerable regions-Provinces , could be one or more near Ontario , Quebec , British Columbia and Alberta. Counter or defense measures taken prior could be meaningful.”

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Nate Tabak

Nate Tabak is a Toronto-based journalist and producer who covers cybersecurity and cross-border trucking and logistics for FreightWaves. He spent seven years reporting stories in the Balkans and Eastern Europe as a reporter, producer and editor based in Kosovo. He previously worked at newspapers in the San Francisco Bay Area, including the San Jose Mercury News. He graduated from UC Berkeley, where he studied the history of American policing. Contact Nate at [email protected].