Lee brings high winds, downpours
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BAR HARBOR, Maine -- Atlantic storm Lee -- which made landfall at near-hurricane strength, bringing destructive winds and torrential rains to New England and Maritime Canada -- kept weakening Sunday after officials withdrew warnings and predicted the storm would disappear early this week.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Sunday morning that the post-tropical cyclone was about 135 miles west of Channel-Port Aux Basques, Newfoundland. The top sustained wind speed was 45 mph with some higher gusts expected.
"Gradual weakening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Lee could dissipate on Tuesday," the U.S. hurricane center said.
The sky was sunny in Maine on Sunday morning. Gov. Janet Mills suspended a state of emergency. Less than 5% of electricity customers were still without power, down from 11% by midday Saturday during the height of the storm. In Canada, 14% of Nova Scotia had no electricity, down from 27% on Saturday, with smaller numbers in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
The center discontinued a tropical storm warning for the coast of Maine late Saturday. It reported late Sunday morning that all tropical storm warnings for Canada were discontinued.
Storm surges were expected to subside on Sunday after being forecast as up to 3 feet on Saturday along coastal areas, the hurricane center said.
A 51-year-old motorist in Searsport, Maine, died Saturday after a large tree limb fell on his vehicle on U.S. Highway 1 during high winds. The limb brought down live power lines and utility workers had to cut power before removing the man, who died later at a hospital, Police Chief Brian Lunt said.
A driver suffered minor injuries Saturday, after a tree downed by Lee went through his windshield on Route 11 in Moro Plantation, Maine, according to Maine State Police. John Yoder, 23, of Apple Creek, Ohio, attempted to stop but couldn't avoid the tree. Yoder suffered minor cuts but the other five passengers in the van were not injured. Police blamed high winds for the downed tree.
The storm was tracked as moving around 22 mph and expected to proceed northeast, taking the weather system across the Canadian Maritimes. Rainfall was expected to be an additional 1 inch or less for portions of eastern Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the U.S. storm center said.