Hurricane Sandy so huge it will impact Ontario to the Maritimes, forecasters say

HALIFAX – As the so-called Frankenstorm makes its way to the U.S. eastern seaboard, forecasters in Canada are warning hurricane Sandy is so big, her reach will be felt from southern Ontario to the Maritimes.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre in Halifax says it’s too early to predict the strength of the winds or rainfall amounts, but the latest computer models suggest powerful gusts and heavy downpours are on the way.

The centre’s program manager, Bob Robichaud, says Sandy should be at her worst by Monday night, and the storm is expected to remain a blustery mess until Wednesday — Halloween.

Robichaud says the storm — comparable in size to the “Perfect Storm” of 1991 — is expected to cause trouble for travellers all along the U.S. East Coast.

Forecasters south of the border say the rare merging of three big weather systems could cause up to $1 billion in damage in densely populated areas like New York and New Jersey.

The Category 1 hurricane has been blamed for causing more than two dozen deaths in Haiti and Cuba.