In the path

On P.E.I., winds will gust to 100 km/h or more overnight and most of the province will see at least 100 millimetres of rain

Hurricane Dorian was downgraded to a category 1 storm on Friday, but it’s still going to pack quite a wallop when it hits P.E.I. late Saturday into Sunday morning.

Cindy Day, chief meteorologist with the SaltWire Network, said the central and eastern parts of the Island can expect in the area of 100 millimetres of rain, while the extreme western tip of the province could see as much as 150 millimetres.

As for the winds, it looks like the entire Island will see gusts climbing to 90 km/h late Saturday, intensifying to 100 km/h or more overnight, between midnight and 7 a.m. Sunday.

“What’s going to be interesting on P.E.I. is the really perfect rotations. You’re going to start with that east wind with gusts to 90 km/h, then it will be northeast gusting to 90, then it will be north gusting to 90 and north and northwest gusting to 90,’’ Day said on a conference call with reporters Friday. “Those winds will start to build late (Saturday) afternoon and in the evening, but the worst will definitely be midnight to about 7 a.m.’’

Compounding the wind situation are the leaves on the trees. Day said that could result in more damage as branches break off.

Northumberland Ferries Ltd. announced on Friday that all ferry crossings between P.E.I. and Nova Scotia have been cancelled for Saturday, and service disruptions are expected on Sunday. The ferry service isn’t expected to resume until Sunday afternoon at the earliest. Visit www.ferries.ca for the latest information.

As for Confederation Bridge, officials are cautioning travellers of possible restrictions to vehicles. Updates are provided at confederationbridge.com and on the bridge’s app.

P.E.I. will also experience the effects from a storm surge along the north shore that will see four- to-six-metre waves. Halifax will see seven-to-eight metre waves while Cape Breton will see 13-metre waves.

Dorian is expected to make landfall near Halifax as a rapidly weakening category 1 hurricane before it hits P.E.I. as a strong post-tropical storm.

Parts of Nova Scotia could see up to 150 millimetres of rain.

It looks like southwestern Newfoundland and Labrador will get the worst of the wind, with gusts to 130 km/h.

One thing Day is confident in saying is Dorian won’t be a repeat of hurricane Juan which struck P.E.I. in 2003 as a category 1.

“It isn’t Juan. Juan made landfall as a category 2 (hurricane),’’ she said. “This will make landfall either as a very weak 1 or a strong post-tropical (and) this system will shoot across Atlantic Canada. It will certainly be posttropical when it hits P.E.I.’’

It is a quick-moving system. By 8 p.m. Saturday, Dorian will be sitting off the southwest corner of Nova Scotia and by 8 a.m. Sunday, it will be sitting off Port aux Basques, N.L.

“So, that’s quite a rapid transition.’’

For the latest forecast from SaltWire meteorologist Cindy Day, see page B12 or go to www.theguardian.pe.ca and click on weather for a video broadcast of her latest forecast

Follow her on Twitter @ CindyDayWeather or on her Facebook page