-0.9°C Fog 
HALIFAX - Environment Canada has increased the odds that hurricane Earl will make landfall somewhere in western Nova Scotia on Saturday morning, churning out damaging winds gusting as high as 140 kilometres per hour.
Chris Fogarty, program supervisor of the Canadian Hurricane Centre, said Wednesday there was a 50 per cent chance the storm will come ashore, probably in the Yarmouth area, as a Category 1 hurricane.
"That's fairly high (odds) when we're talking two or three days out," he told a media briefing, adding that the storm is expected to cause power outages and local flooding.
But he said the centre's computer models also suggest the storm's track could swing anywhere between Maine and Cape Breton — and its predicted arrival at 9 a.m. Saturday could actually come 12 hours before or after that time.
Still, the hurricane centre said much of the Atlantic region can expect sustained gale-force winds at around 70 km/h on the weekend.
New Brunswick is expected to get the most rain — between 50 and 70 millimetres in some areas.
Forecasters say they are concerned about the steamy, tropical air mass hanging over the Maritimes — the humidity Wednesday made it feel like 40 Celsius in some parts of the region — and the fact ocean temperatures are well above normal off Nova Scotia's Atlantic coastline.
The warm water, hovering around 21 C near Halifax, and the hot, sticky air could help Earl sustain its energy, particularly if it shifts its path to the east.
"The persistently warm water through here could be a factor (and) we could be in the upper end of a Category 1," Fogarty said.
Category 1 hurricanes pack winds of 119 km/h to 152 km/h.
"It has the potential to retain hurricane status longer," he said. "That's why we're wanting people to keep their heads up. It's definitely a storm with potential to be very problematic."
Warm ocean temperatures in September 2003 gave a big boost to hurricane Juan, a brawny Category 2 hurricane that roared over the Halifax area, across central Nova Scotia and through Prince Edward Island, causing an estimated $100 million in damage.
Juan's peak gusts over Halifax harbour hit 176 km/h and at least eight deaths were linked to the storm — the worst to hit Halifax in more than 100 years.
At the time, the water temperatures outside the harbour were in the high teens.
"The weather prior to Juan was quite similar," Fogarty said. "But there are differences in the weather patterns over the continent."
Typically, tropical storms over Canadian territory produce their strongest winds on the east side of the storm, while the heaviest rain falls on the west.
The province's Emergency Measures Organization urged residents Wednesday to top up their gasoline and propane tanks, withdraw some cash from the bank, secure any outdoor items that might become projectiles and prepare an emergency kit to help them endure 72 hours without water or electricity.
Fogarty said the potential for damage caused by storm surges will largely depend on when the storm arrives. If Earl hits land at high tide, coastal areas could see flooding, but he also noted that the tides are typically lower at this time of year.
