Hurricane Fiona is pounding Bermuda with heavy rains and winds as it sweeps by the mid-Atlantic island.

The powerful storm is on a path forecasters say will approach Atlantic Canada as a still-powerful storm tonight.

The hurricane will track northward and into the Maritimes late Friday and Saturday as it transitions to a post-tropical storm. That post-tropical transition does not mean the storm will be weaker, but its structure will change. It will grow in scale and cover even more territory.

Environment Canada is warning the region to brace for hurricane-force winds, coastal storm surges, and intense rainfall.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia says the forecast is for the worst gusts to hit eastern Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and parts of Prince Edward Island.

Fiona is expected to pass through Nova Scotia’s eastern mainland, Cape Breton and Prince Edward Island on Saturday, and then on to Quebec’s Lower North Shore and southeastern Labrador early Sunday.