Storm Lee made landfall late Saturday afternoon in Nova Scotia, Canada, at near-hurricane strength, but not before it brought high winds, rough surf and torrential rains to a large swath of New England and Maritime Canada, toppling trees, swamping coastlines, and cutting power to tens of thousands. With sustained winds of 70mph, the center of the post-tropical cyclone came ashore about 135 miles west of Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, according to the US National Hurricane Center. That's about 50 miles southeast of Eastport, Maine, US weather officials said. The storm was expected to weaken as it moves into New Brunswick and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the AP reports.
A 51-year-old motorist in Searsport, Maine, was killed when a large tree limb fell on his vehicle Saturday during a period high winds, the first fatality attributed to post-tropical cyclone Lee. A tropical storm warning was in effect for a 230-mile stretch from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to the eastern end of Maine. That included Bar Harbor, the touristy gateway to Acadia National Park, where a whale watch vessel broke free of its mooring and crashed ashore in front of the College of the Atlantic. Authorities said the Maine Department and Environmental Protection and the Coast Guard were working to offload 1,800 gallons of diesel fuel to prevent it from spilling into the ocean.
Lee flooded coastal roads and boats in Nova Scotia, knocked down power lines and trees, and took ferries out of service as it fanned anxiety in a region still reeling from wildfires and severe flooding this summer. Nova Scotia's largest airport, Halifax Stanfield International, had no incoming or outgoing flights scheduled Saturday, per the AP. "People are exhausted. ... It's so much in such a small time period," said Pam Lovelace, a councilor in Halifax, the capital. "From a mental health perspective, we're asking people to check in on their neighbors."
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