One Dead, Hundreds of Thousands Without Power as Storm Lee Makes Landfall

Atlantic storm Lee made landfall in Nova Scotia, Canada, on Saturday with sustained winds of 70 mph.

Powerful winds from Lee—once a hurricane but now a post-tropical cyclone—resulted in tree falls in coastal Maine, one of which killed a motorist when a limb fell on his vehicle.

Lee formed in early September and built to a Category 5 hurricane with 165-mile-per-hour winds as it made its way toward North America. However, the storm weakened to the level of a post-tropical storm by the time it reached Nova Scotia, though winds were still similar to that of a Category 1 hurricane.

Power outages continue to be a major issue along the U.S.-Canada border due to Lee. CBS News reported that almost 200,000 customers in Nova Scotia had lost power, while more than 53,000 people in Maine didn't have electricity on Saturday.

Authorities in Searsport, Maine, reported that heavy winds on Saturday caused a large tree limb to fall on a vehicle on U.S. Highway 1. Power lines were also knocked down by the limb, necessitating power to be cut before the motorist in the vehicle could be removed.

The 51-year-old motorist later died at a hospital. His identity hasn't been announced as of press time.

The man's death is believed to be the second fatality related to Lee. Authorities in Fernandina Beach, Florida, said they believe they found the body of a missing 15-year-old boy who had gone out swimming on Wednesday along Northeast Florida's coast. Agencies had warned about rough surf conditions in the area from the then-Hurricane Lee.

Before Lee fully arrived to New England, Maine was put under its first hurricane watch in 15 years, and the state's governor, Janet Mills, declared a state of emergency on Thursday.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey declared a state of emergency on Friday, and her state experienced severe flash flooding during the week that caused sinkholes and resulted in damages to homes.

In an advisory posted online Saturday evening, the National Hurricane Center warned tropical storm conditions and coastal flooding are expected to continue occurring across portions of coastal Maine and Canada and spread northward.

The government agency said "heavy rainfall from Lee could produce localized urban and small stream flooding in portions of eastern Maine and New Brunswick."

"Dangerous surf and life-threatening conditions rip currents will continue to affect the U.S. East Coast, Atlantic Canada, Bermuda, Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico through Sunday," the National Hurricane Center's advisory added.