Irma not expected to reach N.L., says Canadian Hurricane Centre
Storm expected to peter out in Southern Ontario, Quebec or Maine
While all forecasts for Hurricane Irma predict devastation in the Atlantic, none of the models show the storm reaching Canada's most eastern province.
There are three forecasts for the storm, according to Jim Murtha of the Canadian Hurricane Centre, and all three show it tapering off in southern parts of Ontario, Quebec or Maine.
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It is still early, however, and the centre will be tracking the storm closely in the coming days.
"It will be a busy week," Murtha told the St. John's Morning Show.
Storm makes landfall on Wednesday
The storm began ravaging islands in the Caribbean on Wednesday, with winds reaching 295 kilometres an hour as it crossed the island of Barbuda and headed towards St. Maarten.
Hurricane warnings have been issued in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic, with many more regions to join that list throughout the day.
5 AM AST forecast and key messages for Hurricane <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Irma?src=hash">#Irma</a>. Go to <a href="https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb">https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb</a> for the latest forecast. <a href="https://t.co/N7gnRJ5B8N">pic.twitter.com/N7gnRJ5B8N</a>
—@NHC_AtlanticIn the first forecasted model, Murtha said the storm could move north after it hits Florida on Sunday and loses its tropical characteristics by midweek around West Virginia. Moisture could go as far north as Southern Ontario.
In the second scenario, it still moves north after Florida, but maintains a defined low pressure centre and travels into New England. This would bring rainfall into southern Ontario and southern Quebec.
The third scenario shows the storm moving back out over the Atlantic and up the coast with moisture reaching as far as Maine.
With files from St. John's Morning Show