Power outages and one death as Storm Lee swings away from Canadian coast

Tens of thousands of people in New England and Canada remained without power on Sunday morning, a grim reminder of the devastating impact of Post-Tropical Storm Lee, which struck Nova Scotia on Saturday afternoon. Lee’s fury left a trail of destruction, claiming at least one life and leaving a wake of downed power lines and felled trees.

In Nova Scotia, nearly 100,000 customers were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.com. In Maine, about 40,000 households suffered from power outages, while New Brunswick reported some 12,000 without power. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that road conditions remained precarious, with hazards like fallen trees and power lines posing a significant threat.

As Lee continued to batter the Atlantic coast, meteorologists kept a close eye on another tempest brewing in the distance: Tropical Storm Nigel. Forecasters warned that Nigel was poised to strengthen into a major hurricane, packing winds of over 111mph. Nigel’s trajectory appeared to be heading north, potentially passing by Bermuda without causing direct harm, but still threatening to bring rough surf and rip currents to the islands.

While Nigel’s chances of barreling toward the US had decreased significantly, Tropical Storm Margot, which had been downgraded from hurricane status, seemed to be on its last legs, the NHC said. Weakened but still potent, Margot seemed destined to fizzle out soon.

Lee, which had briefly reached category 5 status, had left its mark on the US Virgin Islands, Bermuda, and the Bahamas before turning north. The storm’s slow pace had allowed it to unleash its full fury on the affected areas, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. As the storm continued to crawl north, weather experts were on high alert, keeping a watchful eye on other tempests brewing in the Atlantic.

The 2023 Atlantic hurricane season had indeed been one for the record books, with uncommonly warm sea surface temperatures this summer creating an ideal breeding ground for tropical storms and hurricanes. As the global climate crisis continued to wreak havoc, weather experts had warned that such severe weather events would become more frequent and intense.

The Associated Press contributed to this story, which remains a developing tale that will be updated as more information becomes available.