HALIFAX - Rainfall warnings are in effect for parts of Atlantic Canada this weekend, with hurricane Ophelia poised to play a part in some heavy downpours by late Sunday.
Heavy rain on Saturday was the result of a weather system that was not related to Ophelia but was expected to remain stalled over the region all weekend.
Warnings called for between 50 and 100 millimetres of rain for most of Nova Scotia over the weekend, with up to 60 millimetres in eastern P.E.I.
Chris Fogarty of the Canadian Hurricane Centre said while Saturday's rain was not directly related to Ophelia, there could be some interaction between the systems.
"The front that's giving us the heavy rain in Nova Scotia is expected to become connected to the hurricane later today (Saturday) and tomorrow (Sunday), so the rainfall amounts will be elevated given that setup," he said during a conference call.
He said forecasters were not expecting any remnants of Ophelia to make direct landfall in the Atlantic region.
Fogarty said Ophelia will enter Canadian waters as a strong hurricane but is forecast to then weaken into a post-tropical storm when it moves north and east of Newfoundland.
"However, it would not take much change in the track of this storm to make a direct strike in southeastern Newfoundland," he said.
Ophelia was situated south-southeast of Bermuda on Saturday, packing winds reaching almost 200 kilometres an hour.
Fogarty said the hurricane's track would likely bring it close to southeastern Newfoundland on Monday morning.
Rain associated with the hurricane was not forecast to affect southeastern Newfoundland until Sunday night.
Fogarty said heavy downpours are possible, bringing 75 to 100 millimetres of rain to the Burin and Avalon peninsulas.
Heavy weather is also expected in offshore waters, while sea swells could be a problem in some coastal areas.
