Lee made landfall at near-hurricane strength in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on Saturday as a post-tropical cyclone, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, just below the 74 mph threshold for a category 1 hurricaneaccording to the agency.
He one-time hurricane It moved across the Atlantic Ocean this week, threatening the east coast with life-threatening waves and rip currents. On Saturday, Lee pummeled parts of New England and southeastern Canada with heavy rain and powerful winds, causing dangerous storm surge.
In the coastal town of Searsport, Maine, a 51-year-old man died Saturday after a large tree branch fell on his vehicle, according to the Associated Press. The incident occurred when strong winds were hitting the area. Police Chief Brian Lunt said the power had to be turned off to downed power lines before the man could be removed from the vehicle, according to the AP.
Nearly 200,000 customers were without power in Nova Scotia. More than 100,000 people were without power in Maine.
Lee made landfall in far western Nova Scotia around 4 p.m. EDT, the hurricane center said. As of 8 pm EDT, Lee had maximum sustained winds near 65 mph and was forecast to weaken in the coming days. The center of the storm was located about 40 miles east-southeast of Eastport, Maine, and about 130 miles west of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the hurricane center said. Lee was moving north at 14 mph.
Tropical storm-force winds extended up to 320 miles from the center of the storm, according to the hurricane center.
NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-East
In Massachusetts, Lee hit coastal areas with gusts of up to 63 mph, CBS News Boston reports. Dozens of flights they were canceled in the state, according to FlightAware.
President Biden on Saturday approved a federal emergency declaration for the state, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate any relief efforts. Biden approved a similar declaration for Maine on Thursday.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, who had declared several states of emergency over the storm, lifted the orders Saturday. saying on social media Lee’s effects on the state were “minimal.”
“I am grateful to the residents and public safety officials who have been responding and preparing for severe weather and flooding all week,” she said.
Before the storm, lobstermen moved their boats and traps inland so they would not be damaged in rough waters.
“It’s the saying I always say: If you do nothing, everything will be bad,” said Jeffrey Richardson of Sandwich, Massachusetts. told CBS News Boston. “If you spend half the day hauling traps, bringing in traps, preparing your boat, it’s going to be minimal. And that’s what happened…it’s much better to be safe than sorry.”