Post-tropical storm Lee is unleashing its fury upon the Maritimes, resulting in widespread flooding, towering waves, and power outages that have left approximately 170,000 homes in the dark.
Once a hurricane, Lee has been reclassified as a post-tropical storm, with its center projected to make landfall between Nova Scotia’s Shelburne and Yarmouth counties during the afternoon hours.
Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood reported, “We’re not getting as hard a hit as we originally anticipated – lots of wind here – there are some trees down, but far better than we thought. It’s not beautiful here, it’s windy.” However, this change in storm designation primarily relates to the storm’s structure and does not diminish the expected impacts.
Coastal areas of Nova Scotia are already witnessing substantial storm surges, causing waves to crash onto roadways. Erica Fleck, Halifax Regional Municipality’s emergency management director, urgently advised all residents to remain indoors and steer clear of the coastline. She emphasized, “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.”
Fleck further revealed that storm surges had “wiped out” some roadways in the Lawrencetown area and along the Eastern Shore. “Water has already crossed roads… Roads that were fixed during the fires and the floods between May and July are out again in the Peggys Cove area,” she stated. “There are issues in Herring Cove, issues in Bedford, basically anywhere near water we’re already seeing issues, and the peak hasn’t come yet,” Fleck warned around 12:30 p.m.
According to CTV Atlantic meteorologist Kalin Mitchell, the worst of the storm’s impacts are anticipated to hit Nova Scotia throughout Saturday afternoon.
As of approximately 2 p.m., power outages affected 137,000 houses in Nova Scotia, over 36,000 homes in New Brunswick, and about 18 customers on Prince Edward Island were without power. Newfoundland Power had not reported any outages as of noon.
Matt Drover of Nova Scotia Power indicated that crews were actively working on power restoration in areas where winds were below 80 kilometers per hour. Drover stated, “We’ve been preparing all week for this storm, we knew that Lee was going to be a significant storm with really high winds.”
Environment Canada issued warnings of breaking waves between four and six meters along Nova Scotia’s central Atlantic coast, with storm surge warnings spanning from Shelburne County to Guysborough County.
Nova Scotia RCMP appealed to drivers to stay off the roads and expressed concerns about individuals heading to the coast to watch the waves, putting themselves and first responders at risk.
A hurricane watch is in effect for Grand Manan Island and coastal Charlotte County, New Brunswick, and for most of Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast. A tropical storm warning remains in place for most of Nova Scotia and for New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy coast and areas along the Northumberland Strait.
The storm is predicted to bring more than 100 millimeters of rain to certain areas, raising concerns of flooding in parts of southwestern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, including Saint John and Moncton. Wind gusts reaching 120 kilometers per hour could result in fallen trees, downed power lines, and structural damage.
In Prince Edward Island, Public Safety Minister Bloyce Thompson urged Islanders to make final preparations as the storm approached. Thompson advised residents to stay indoors during periods of high winds and to avoid coastal areas.