The Maritimes clean up after Noel - Canada by Steph Ball
The Canadian Maritimes, consisting of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, were busy cleaning up on Monday after the remnants of Hurricane Noel brought high winds and heavy rain over the weekend.
Last week Noel became the deadliest hurricane of the season after lashing the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the Bahamas, and Cuba. It then went on to run northwards across the Eastern Seaboard before gradually losing strength.
However the storm was still able to pack a punch to the Maritimes as it hit during Sunday. A meteorologist with the Canadian Hurricane Centre said it was a stark reminder of the volatile weather which can affect the region. It is thought that the current La Niņa may have been partly to blame for the extreme weather experienced.
La Niņa, the opposite of El Niņo, produces cold surface temperatures in the Pacific and its resulting wind patterns can help hurricane formation in the Atlantic.
Noel hit the Maritimes with winds in excess of 80mph (135km/h) and producing waves as high as 15metres. It also dropped as much as 70-75mm (3inches) of rain in places. At the height of the storm, power was knocked out to 100,000 homes and businesses.
Noel was the second post-tropical storm to hit eastern Canada this year. In August, eastern Newfoundland and Labrador suffered millions of dollars in damages as roads and bridges were washed out by as much as 155mm (6inches) of rain in some areas.
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