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Hurricane Bill Storm Summary


Laurissa Anyas-Weiss, content producer

August 20, 2009 — Hurricane Bill may have been a weak Category 1 storm when it hit Atlantic Canada but it still packed a punch.

See below for a Hurricane Bill Storm Summary.

Timeline

  • August 15: formed to become third tropical depression of 2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season
  • August 17: became first hurricane of the season
  • August 18: Category 2, 157 km/h sustained winds
  • August 19: Category 4, major hurricane, 213 km/h sustained winds
  • August 22: hit Bermuda as Category 2
  • August 23: tracked to Maritimes reaching within 50 km of coast of Nova Scotia as Category 1
  • August 23, midnight: made landfall at Point Rosie on Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland (exact strength unknown, strong tropical storm or weak Category 1 with 110-120 km/h sustained winds)

Hurricane Bill began as the third tropical depression of the Atlantic Hurricane season on August 15 and became a named storm later that day. Bill became the first hurricane of the year on August 17 and strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane on August 18 with winds in excess of 157 km/h. Bill continued to to strengthen rapidly and became a major hurricane, a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 213 km/h on August 19. Bill remained at that strength for a full day before beginning to weaken.

In its early days Bill tracked towards the west northwest but eventually curved northwest and then headed towards the north passing well west of Bermuda as a marginal Category 2 hurricane early on August 22. Bill was a solid Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 km/h, when it entered southwestern Maritime waters near dawn on Sunday, August 23. Hurricane Bill tracked northwest through Maritime waters passing within 50 km of the coast of Nova Scotia before veering eastward on its way to Newfoundland.

Hurricane Bill passed over Grand Miquelon, France, before making landfall near midnight Sunday night at Point Rosie on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland. The strength of the storm was on the boundary between a strong tropical storm and a hurricane with sustained winds between 110-120 km/h at landfall. A post analysis is planned to determine its exact strength when it made landfall. Early indications are that it was below hurricane strength. Bill tracked rapidly through the southern portions of Newfoundland in a few hours as it increased in forward speed and was east of all Newfoundland waters by mid Monday morning, August 24.

Hurricane Bill encountered a tropical airmass when it arrived in Atlantic Canada which delayed the onset of extratropical transition until it was well into the Atlantic region of Canada. Heavy rain was reported in all four Atlantic provinces with the passage of Bill. Storm force wind gusts were reported in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland with high coastal waves and marginal flooding with storm surges reported in those same two provinces. Storm surge values ranged from 50 cm along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia to 70 cm along the Northumberland-Miramichi coast of New Brunswick to 75 cm in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. See below for available rainfall amounts.

Nova Scotia

LocationRainfall (mm)Wind (km/h)
Yarmouth 6580
Baccaro Point3785
Dayton*64N/A
Western Head4167
LunenburgN/A83
St. Margaret Bay4470
Shearwater5267
NcNabs IslandN/A89
Osborne HeadN/A82
Halifax Airport5782
Lower Sackville51N/A
Jollimore*71N/A
Clayton Park*66N/A
Stewiake3169
Malay Falls62N/A
Beaver IslandN/A91
Brier IslandN/A70
Kejimkujik5152
Caledonia*70N/A
Greenwood3156
Kentville5661
Debert3372
Parrsboro3165
Nappan1963
Caribou Point2982
Tracadie6469
Hart LakeN/A93
Lochaber*45N/A
Queensport*72N/A
Baddeck*31N/A
Sydney5476
New Victoria*50N/A
Louisbourg56N/A
Ingonish Beach6856
North Mountain5859
Cheticamp2689
Saint Paul IslandN/A102

Prince Edward Island

LocationRainfall (mm)Wind (km/h)
North Point2870
Summerside2865
Charlottetown2365
St. Peter's4156
Alliston*66N/A
East Point5591

New Brunswick

LocationRainfall (mm)Wind (km/h)
Moncton3265
Bouctouche24N/A
Saint John - Erbs Cove*27N/A
Saint John Airport659
St. Stephen4745

Newfoundland

LocationRainfall (mm)Wind (km/h)
Argentia3194
Bonavista2791
Burgeo4378
Cape Pine*N/A121
Cape RaceN/A132
Gander7159
Grates CoveN/A93
La ScieN/A56
Lethbridge*39N/A
Marticot IslandN/A100
Port aux Basques5778
Sagona IslandN/A102
St. John's4080
St. Lawrence4596
Terra Nova3057
Winterland6383
Wreckhouse2570

* Volunteer Observer

Oceanic Data

BuoySustainedPeak Wind (km/h)
Georges Bank7496
halifax Harbour5782
LaHave Bank100135
East Scotian Slope85115
Laurentian Fan7093
Banquereau Bank74100
Southwest Grand Banks7093
Nickerson Bank 7096

BuoySignificantMaximum Waves (m)
Georges Bank10.7N/A
halifax Harbour9.014.9
LaHave Bank13.426.4
East Scotian Slope14.124.7
Laurentian Fan9.413.8
Banquereau Bank10.517.3
Southwest Grand Banks9.413.9
Nickerson Bank7.812.0

Source: Canadian Hurricane Centre

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