BAR HARBOR, Maine (AP) – Atlantic Storm Lee – which made landfall at near-hurricane strength, bringing damaging winds and heavy rain to New England and Maritime Canada – continued to weaken Sunday after officials lifted some warnings and predicted the storm would dissipate earlier this week.
The US National Hurricane Center said Sunday morning that the post-tropical cyclone was about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west-northwest of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and about 180 miles (290 kilometers) west of Channel-Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland. The highest sustained wind speed has dropped to 45 mph (70 kph) with some higher gusts expected.
“Gradually weakening is forecast over the next few days, and Lee could dissipate by Tuesday,” the US hurricane center said.
Skies cleared in Maine on Sunday morning, where 5% of electric customers were still without power, down from 11% by midday Saturday as the storm peaked. In Canada, 18% of Nova Scotia was without power, down from 27% on Saturday. The figure is 3% in New Brunswick, down from 8%, and less than 1% in Prince Edward Island, down from 3%.
The center ended a tropical storm warning for the coast of Maine late Saturday and reported the Canadian Hurricane Center has ended a tropical storm warning for New Brunswick and parts of Prince Edward Island.
People watch as waves crash along the coast of Bailey Island, Maine on September 16, 2023.AP
The storm surge is expected to subside on Sunday after 3 feet (0.91 meters) was forecast on Saturday along coastal areas, the hurricane center said.
A 51-year-old driver in Searsport, Maine, died Saturday after a large tree branch fell on his vehicle on US Highway 1 during high winds. The member took down live power lines and utility workers had to cut the power before removing the man, who later died at a hospital, Police Chief Brian Lunt said.
A driver suffered minor injuries Saturday after a tree that fell on Lee went through his windshield on Route 11 in Moro Plantation, Maine, according to Maine State Police. John Yoder, 23, of Apple Creek, Ohio, tried to stop but was unable to avoid the tree. Yoder suffered minor injuries but the five other passengers in the van were unhurt. Police blamed high winds for the downed trees.
The storm was spotted moving around 22 mph (35 kph) and was expected to move northeast, bringing the weather system across Maritime Canada. Rainfall is expected to be an additional 1 inch (25 millimeters) or less for parts of eastern Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, US storm centers said.
People dance in the rain during storm Lee in Bar Harbor, Maine.AP
A tropical storm warning remains in effect for parts of Nova Scotia, the Magdalen Islands and Prince Edward Island with strong winds that may lead to downed trees and power outages, the center said.
In Bar Harbor, Maine, the tourist gateway to Acadia National Park, a whale-watching vessel broke loose from its moorings and crashed ashore on Saturday. Authorities tried to lower 1,800 gallons (6,813 liters) of diesel fuel to prevent it from spilling into the ocean.
Lee flooded coastal roads in Nova Scotia and took ferries out of service while stoking concerns in a province still reeling from wildfires and severe flooding this summer. The region’s largest airport, Halifax Stanfield International, canceled all flights.
“People are exhausted,” said Pam Lovelace, a councilor in Halifax. “It’s so much in such a small amount of time.”
A downed tree hangs on power lines in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.AP
Hurricane-force winds extended 140 miles (220 kilometers) from Lee’s center, with tropical storm-force winds extending 320 miles (515 kilometers), enough to cover all of Maine and much of Maritime Canada.
The storm hit some of the wettest areas of Massachusetts that experienced severe flash flooding days earlier, when torrential water washed away roads, causing sinkholes, damaged homes and flooded vehicles.
In eastern Maine, winds died down enough by late Saturday afternoon for utility workers to begin using bucket trucks to make repairs.
The entire region has experienced a very wet summer, ranking second in the number of rainy days to Portland, Maine — and Lee’s high winds toppled trees stressed by rain-soaked soil in Maine, the nation’s wettest state.
A pedestrian deals with the rain from Lee in Fredericton, New Brunswick. AP
Cruise ships found shelter at the docks in Portland, Maine, while lobstermen in Bar Harbor and elsewhere pulled traps from the water and hauled boats inland.
Billy Bob Faulkingham, the leader of the Maine Republican Legislature, and another lobsterman survived after their boat capsized while hauling traps ahead of Friday’s storm, officials said.
The boat’s emergency search beacon alerted authorities and the couple clung to the hull until help arrived, Winter Harbor Police Chief Danny Mitchell said. The 42-foot-long (12.8-meter) boat capsized.
“They are very lucky to be alive,” Mitchell said.
A tourist struggles with his poncho in strong winds in Bar Harbor, Maine. AP
Lee shares some characteristics with Superstorm Sandy of 2012. Both storms were once-strong hurricanes that became post-tropical cyclones – cyclones that have lost most of their tropical characteristics – before making landfall. But Sandy caused billions of dollars in damage and was blamed for dozens of deaths in New York and New Jersey.
Nor was Lee as bad as the remnants of Hurricane Fiona, which a year ago swept homes into the ocean in eastern Canada, knocked out power to most of two provinces and swept a woman overboard.
Destructive typhoons are relatively rare in the north. The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 brought 186 mph (300 kph) gusts and 121 mph (195 kph) winds at Massachusetts’ Blue Hill Observatory. There hasn’t been a storm this strong in recent years.
Separately, Tropical Storm Nigel is strengthening and is expected to become a hurricane by Monday, the US hurricane center said. It does not appear to pose a threat to the US or Canada. It is about 980 miles (1,575 kilometers) northeast of the Lesser Antilles and about 1,180 miles (1,895 kilometers) east-southeast of Bermuda. It has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and is moving north-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph).
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
