Storm Lee makes landfall in Canada, downing trees and knocking out power
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Waves crashing ashore as a man worked on his house in Canada's Nova Scotia province on Sept 16, after the arrival of post-tropical cyclone Lee.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LOCKEPORT, Canada - Storm Lee made landfall as a post-tropical cyclone packing hurricane-force winds in a far western part of Canada’s Nova Scotia province on Saturday, flooding roads, downing trees and cutting out power for tens of thousands of people along the North Atlantic coast.
At least one storm-related fatality was recorded on Saturday. A motorist in the US state of Maine died after a tree fell on his vehicle, local media reported.
The United States National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said in its latest update that Lee was moving north after it made landfall on Long Island, a small island south-west of the Nova Scotia capital Halifax, on Saturday.
The still-powerful weather system packed maximum sustained winds of 100kmh with higher gusts, forecasters said.
Lee, now located about 60km east-south-east of Eastport, Maine, and about 215km west of Halifax, is expected to weaken steadily during the next couple of days.
It brought strong winds, coastal flooding and heavy rain to parts of coastal Maine and Atlantic Canada.
In Nova Scotia, around 120,000 people were without power on Saturday after winds downed trees and felled power lines. In neighbouring New Brunswick, nearly 20,000 experienced power outages.
“Crews have been able to restore power to some customers... However, conditions are getting worse. In many cases, especially when winds are above 80kmh, it isn’t safe for our crews,” said Mr Matt Drover of the Nova Scotia electric utility.
Winds have reached over 100kmh in parts of the west and over 90kmh in downtown Halifax, the largest city in the province, he said in a statement. Halifax airport was closed to all flights.
In Maine, nearly 70,000 customers were out of power as at late Saturday, according to website PowerOutage.us
Fierce waves lashing Nova Scotia’s shoreline littered flooded coastal roads with debris in some localities.
“The intensity of the storm is strong,” said Mr Paul Mason, the executive director of the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office. “Storm surge is expected to be the most intense in the afternoon into the early evening.”
The storm may bring an additional 20mm to 50mm of rain in parts of eastern Maine and New Brunswick in Canada, the NHC said, highlighting the risk of flooding in these areas.
Strong winds, coastal flooding and heavy rain occurred in parts of Atlantic Canada, which includes Nova Scotia.
PHOTO: REUTERS
“Lee will continue to impact the region tonight with rain or showers, strong winds and high waves along the Atlantic coast,” the Canadian Hurricane Centre said in a statement.
In anticipation, the administration of US President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration for Maine and Massachusetts, providing federal assistance for the states.
In the US, the Biden administration issued an emergency declaration for the states of Massachusetts (above) and Maine.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
Lee has been churning as a large hurricane over the Atlantic for more than a week, briefly threatening Bermuda but mostly harmless for anyone on land.
It marks the second year in a row that such a powerful storm has reached Canada after Hurricane Fiona ripped into eastern Canada a year ago. REUTERS
