1 of 3 | Hundreds of thousands of people are without power in Atlantic Canada while parts of Massachusetts and Maine were hit with coastal flooding and strong winds as Lee moved closer to landfall on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Nova Scotia Power
Sept. 16 (UPI) — Hundreds of thousands of people are without power in Atlantic Canada Saturday while parts of New England were hit by flooding and strong winds as Post-Tropical Storm Lee neared landfall.
Hurricane conditions remain possible in the southern parts of the Canadian Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest update, issued Saturday at 10 a.m. EST.
A Hurricane Watch still exists for some coastal areas, including the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island.
While tropical storm force winds continue to batter Nova Scotia, we want to remind customers that if you come across a downed wire, please stay as far away as possible. Treat the line as energized and report it to our outage line at 1-877-428-6004. Stay safe and visit… pic.twitter.com/yBngIcirtU— Nova Scotia Power (@nspowerinc) September 16, 2023
A tropical storm warning remained in place in Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Westport, Mass., northward to the U.S.-Canada border.
“The strong winds are already leading to downed trees and power outages,” the National Hurricane Center said in the update.
More than 132,000 customers in Nova Scotia were without power at 11 a.m. Saturday because of the storm. The province has a total population of just over 971,000. An additional 35,000 customers remained without power in neighboring New Brunswick.
Utility provider Nova Scotia Power turned off electricity to around 6,000 customers in order to begin repairing damaged power poles.
Lee is expected to make landfall in Atlantic Canada sometime Saturday afternoon, after the storm was downgraded from Hurricane status in the early morning hours. Category 1 conditions still exist in the storm’s center, where sustained wind speeds remain around 80 mph.
Downed trees in Halifax were being reported Saturday morning after wind gusts over 55 mph ripped through Nova Scotia capital.
Forecasters said dangerous surf and life-threatening rip currents will continue to affect the U.S. East Coast, Atlantic Canada, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Leeward Islands through the weekend.
The NHC also noted the possibility of flooding along local streams and rivers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, as well as Maine and Massachusetts.
Lee was located about 105 miles offshore of Eastport, Maine, and 150 miles from Halifax, while moving at 22 mph at the time of the latest update.