Up to 70 mm of rain possible in Ottawa for Halloween

Environment Canada is warning that a large dumping of rain is possible in the nation’s capital.

According to the weather agency total amount between 40 to 70 millimetres is possible. The rain started in Ottawa early Thursday and is expected to continue through Friday evening.

Thursday is set to bring between 10 to 30 mm of precipitation, and temperatures should hover around 5 C. Rain is going to continue overnight into Friday, making for a wet Halloween.

The wind is forecasted to pick up over Friday, gusting up to 60 km/h, the agency said. Precipitation totals should be around 10 to 20 mm over the day. Models are showing that trick-or-treaters should incorporate umbrellas or rain jackets into their costumes for Oct. 31, although rain could taper off by the end of the night.

Localized pooling and flooding is possible. Environment Canada notes that people should not drive through flooded roadways.

The low-pressure system is interacting with the remnants of Hurricane Melissa, which battered the Caribbean causing widespread damage and deaths, and is expected to pass right over St. Johns, N.L. with gusts up to 120 km/h.

Randeep Sarai, secretary of state for international development, said Canada is “very closely” monitoring the situation and is ready to help with any local requests for logistics or humanitarian assistance.

“It’s a huge disaster. It’s a class 5, it is the largest that Jamaica has ever seen in recorded history,” Sarai said on Parliament Hill. “There is nothing that can withstand that pressure.”