It likely won’t bring the ferocious conditions poised to whip the eastern United States, but Hurricane Sandy’s “Frankenstorm” combination with a winter storm will likely cause weather warnings for our region.
Environment Canada says there’s potential for “significant impacts” to eastern Ontario and the Gatineau area late Monday and into Tuesday, with significant rainfall and strong winds appearing likely.
Rain and wind warnings may be issued Monday morning for our region, but the exact path of the very large storm is unpredictable as of Sunday afternoon.
"We're looking at five to ten millimetres (of rain) a day for overnight Monday into Tuesday, unfortunately into Halloween as well," said CTV Ottawa weather anchor Eric Longley.
The Ottawa International Airport is advising travellers to check their flight schedule, as flights in the United States are being affected by the storm.
Southern Ontario looks like it will be hit hardest, with as much as 75 millimetres of rain in some areas. This is partially because of a weather front currently stalled over the area.
"It's going to affect us all week . . . but relatively light rainfall for us here in the capital," Longley said. "Southern Ontario is going to get much more than we are."
Environment Canada says snow doesn’t appear likely for our area.
The storm is set to hammer the densely populated eastern portion of the United States, with cities such as New York City and Philadelphia boarding up windows and shutting down transit systems.
"If you don't evacuate, you are not only endangering your life, you are also endangering the lives of the first responders who are going in to rescue you," said New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg while ordering evacuations of some low-lying areas.
"This is a serious and dangerous storm."
The storm could bring 300 millimetres of rain, 130 kilometre-per-hour winds and a storm surge of between four and eleven feet to some areas, according to forecasts.
It has already caused at least 65 deaths in the Caribbean.
