Post-tropical cyclone Lee wreaks havoc as it makes landfall in eastern Canada

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) - Post-tropical cyclone Lee made landfall Saturday off the eastern seaboard of Canada, with winds as high as 110 kilometers per hour (70 miles per hour) and knocking out power to nearly 180,000 people.

The storm turned into Nova Scotia from the Atlantic Ocean and winds are expected to increase as Lee continues northwest into the neighboring province of New Brunswick.

It has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone from a Category 1 hurricane but it is still wreaking havoc.

“Though Lee has transitioned from a hurricane to a strong post-tropical cyclone, our concerns about the threat it poses are unchanged,” Kyle Levitt, New Brunswick’s emergency measures organization director. “In fact, Lee has arrived faster and with slightly greater intensity than expected.”

A third of residents of Nova Scotia were without electricity by the afternoon as the cyclone continued onward.

“The winds will pick up through this evening and continue (to gust) overnight in eastern areas like Cape Breton and P.E.I (Prince Edward Island),” said Canadian Broadcasting Corporation meteorologist Ryan Snoddon.

Areas on the coast of Nova Scotia are experiencing significant storm surges with waves slamming into and across roads, prompting warnings for residents to stay away from coastal areas. Some roads have been obliterated.

“It is really unsafe for people to be out there right now, we’re really urging residents to please be smart and stay home and shelter in place. There’s no need to be out right now unless it’s an absolute emergency,” Erica Fleck, Halifax Regional Municipality’s emergency management director, told CTV News Atlantic.

Environment Canada warned that waves could reach a 4 to 6 meters (13 to 20 feet) and rainfall is forecasted to exceed 100 millimeters (four inches) which could cause flooding.