In a tumultuous turn of events, Lee, transitioning into a post-tropical cyclone, made a formidable landfall on the far western fringes of Canada’s Nova Scotia province this past Saturday. With an indomitable force, it unleashed hurricane-strength winds, inundated roads, brought down mighty trees, and plunged tens of thousands into darkness as power lines succumbed to its wrath along the North Atlantic coastline.
Tragically, the tempest claimed at least one life on Saturday, as a motorist in the US state of Maine met a fatal end when a colossal tree descended upon their vehicle, as reported by local media outlets.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC), in its most recent advisory, indicated that Lee charted a northward trajectory after its initial landfall on Long Island, a diminutive islet to the southwest of Halifax. The tempest, despite relinquishing its tropical status, maintained formidable sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, coupled with even mightier gusts, as per forecasts.
Presently, Lee looms approximately 40 miles to the east-southeast of Eastport, Maine, and 130 miles west of Halifax. In the days ahead, meteorologists anticipate a gradual weakening of this once-potent weather system.
The tempest unleashed its fury upon coastal Maine and Atlantic Canada, bestowing upon them robust winds, coastal inundation, and torrents of rain.
In Nova Scotia, a staggering 120,000 residents found themselves grappling with power outages, courtesy of the tempest’s arboreal onslaught and power line takedowns. Meanwhile, in the neighboring province of New Brunswick, nearly 20,000 individuals faced a similar predicament.
Matt Drover, representing Nova Scotia’s electric utility, shed light on the arduous task of power restoration, stating, “Crews have been able to restore power to some customers… however, conditions are getting worse. In many cases, especially when winds are above 80 kilometers per hour (49.7 mph), it isn’t safe for our crews.”
Savage winds, surpassing 62 mph in certain western areas and exceeding 56 mph in downtown Halifax, the province’s metropolis, compounded the crisis. Consequently, Halifax’s airport ceased all flight operations.
Meanwhile, in Maine, a staggering 70,000 customers remained without electricity as Saturday drew to a close, according to PowerOutages.us.
Along Nova Scotia’s coastline, ferocious waves mercilessly inundated coastal thoroughfares with debris in various locales.
“The intensity of the storm is formidable,” remarked Paul Mason, the executive director of the Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office. “Storm surge is anticipated to peak during the afternoon and early evening hours.”
As this tempestuous episode unfolds, there is the ominous prospect of an additional 1-2 inches of precipitation drenching parts of eastern Maine and New Brunswick, thus elevating the peril of flooding, warns the NHC.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre, echoing similar concerns, stated, “Lee will continue to impact the region tonight with rain or showers, strong winds, and high waves along the Atlantic coast.”
In anticipation of the impending tempest’s fury, the administration of US President Joe Biden promptly issued an emergency declaration for the states of Maine and Massachusetts, thereby facilitating federal aid.
Lee, an imposing hurricane, has roamed the vast expanses of the Atlantic for over a week, briefly menacing Bermuda but largely sparing land-based populations. It marks the second consecutive year that such a formidable tempest has made its way to Canada, reminiscent of Hurricane Fiona’s unwelcome visit to eastern Canada a year prior.
By Reuters
