Lee makes landfall in Canada as it hits New England
FOX Weather's Ian Oliver and Robert Ray report on post-tropical Hurricane Lee making landfall in Canada as power outages grow in Maine.
Bar Harbor, Maine — A second death related to Lee was reported in the U.S. on Saturday as the sprawling storm battered New England with damaging winds that left more than 300,000 customers in both the U.S. and Canada without power during the hurricane's peak.
The first death in Florida occurred earlier this week when then-Hurricane Lee created dangerous rip currents that officials said led to a 15-year-old swimmer drowning. Winds from post-tropical Cyclone Lee toppled a tree onto a car in Searsport, Maine, killing a 50-year-old man inside, police said Saturday.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm came ashore on Long Island off Nova Scotia, Canada, with winds of about 70 mph. While Lee's name changed from “hurricane” to “post-tropical cyclone,” the difference between the one in New England is only in the title.
The Fox Forecast Center said the storm now derives its strength from traditional atmospheric clashes between warm and cold air, and no longer derives energy from warm waters below like hurricanes and tropical storms.
History of Hurricane Lee
The vast majority of the U.S. power outages were in Maine, but repair crews made steady progress, with the number of outages falling to about 50,000 around midnight.
Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island were the toughest provinces in Canada with power outages exceeding 200,000 on Saturday, PowerOutage.com reported.
Cell phone service was also reported to be spotty in the area, likely due to widespread power outages.
What is the difference between a tropical storm and a subtropical storm?
On Saturday morning, FOX Weather meteorologist Michael Estime was covering the storm from Bar Harbor, Maine, when he saw a boat being pushed by powerful waves toward a concrete dock before crashing into a seawall.
“We saw one of these boats… break apart and the boat was pitching and rolling… and within 30 seconds, the wind took this boat and slammed it into the seawall right behind Pier 2, and then we lost it as it sailed.” “Out of our field of vision,” he said.
The boat breaks free from its moorings as Lee hits New England with damaging winds and waves
The boat hits the pier and seawall in Maine as waves from Lee crash onto the shore
FOX Weather meteorologist Michael Estime captures the moment strong waves from Lee push a boat toward a concrete dock and seawall in Bar Harbor, Maine. September 16, 2023.
In Manasquan, New Jersey, a boat capsized Friday night due to high waves and heavy waves that were hit by Lee, causing a man to disappear. The area experienced waves between 8 and 10 feet high during the incident, causing the 31-foot boat to capsize. There was a father and his two sons on board, and the father and son were rescued. The Coast Guard and local agencies searched until sunset on Friday for the son, who is still missing. The search has been suspended pending further developments.
Hurricane Lee live tracker: forecast path, watches, warnings, power outages, wind gusts and more
Landing me in Canada (Fox Weather)
Lee's hurricane-force winds were felt from New Hampshire to Canada
The hurricane produced hurricane-force wind gusts in both the United States and Canada before making landfall in Nova Scotia. In Perry, Maine, near the Canada-U.S. border, wind speeds reached 83 mph early Saturday morning. Wind speeds on Grand Manan Island in Canada reached 93 mph, while Halifax, Nova Scotia, reached 73 mph. A monitoring site in New Brunswick reported wind gusts of 93 mph.
At higher elevations, Lee helped produce a 96 mph wind gust at Mount Washington in New Hampshire.
Conditions in Maine and parts of southeastern Canada are set to improve rapidly on Sunday as the remnants of Lee begin to accelerate and race northeast across the Canadian sea lines.
Wind gusts of more than 100 mph are expected at the top of New England Mountain as Hurricane Lee blows past the area
