By Canadian Press

High winds, flooding, power outages possible as hurricane Lee hits Atlantic Canada

Sep 16, 2023 | 1:01 AM

Much of Atlantic Canada remains under various weather statements, watches and warnings, as a weakening but still powerful hurricane Lee brings high winds, heavy rain, and high coastal waves to the Maritimes.

The latest update from Environment Canada says Lee is currently a Category 1 hurricane and is expected to transition into an intense post-tropical cyclone today.

While the weather agency expects the centre of Lee to make landfall somewhere over southwestern Nova Scotia later this afternoon, it does say rain and strong winds ahead of Lee are already affecting parts of the province.

Environment Canada says Lee’s impact is expected to be felt several hundred kilometres from the centre.

As of 3 a.m. ADT, Lee had maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometres per hour, and was roughly 360 kilometres south of Yarmouth, N.S., moving north at a speed of 33 kilometres per hour.

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A hurricane watch is in place for Grand Manan Island and coastal Charlotte County, N.B., and for most of Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast, stretching from Digby County through to Halifax County, while a tropical storm warning remains in effect for most of Nova Scotia and for New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy coast and parts of the province along the Northumberland Strait.

Environment Canada warns winds gusts could reach 120 kilometres an hour, toppling trees and downing power lines. Nova Scotia Power reported more than 11,000 customers were affected by outages as of 3 a.m. ADT.

More than 100 millimetres of rain is possible, with the agency warning of possible flooding in parts of southwestern Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, including Saint John and Moncton. Areas along Nova Scotia’s central Atlantic coast could see breaking waves of between four and six metres, and storm surge warnings are in effect from Shelburne County eastward to Guysborough County.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau convened the incident response group on Friday to discuss the potential effects of the hurricane in Atlantic Canada and parts of eastern Quebec.

The group, which typically consists of cabinet ministers and senior officials, meets only to discuss events with major implications for Canada, such as the recent port strike in British Columbia as well as the wildfires in B.C. and the Northwest Territories.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2023.

The Canadian Press