Tropical Storm Lee had devastating effects over the weekend, resulting in the tragic loss of at least one life as it battered New England and southeastern Canada. The storm made landfall in Nova Scotia, Canada, on Saturday, having transformed from a Category 5 hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone. Its fierce winds, nearly reaching hurricane strength at 70 miles per hour, fell just shy of the 75-mph threshold required for Category 1 hurricane status.
The unfortunate casualty occurred in Searsport, Maine, a coastal town situated approximately 50 miles from Bar Harbor. A 51-year-old man lost his life when a large tree limb struck his vehicle, bringing down power lines along with it. While CBS News confirmed the fatality through police dispatch, they did not disclose specific details surrounding the incident. According to reports, the tragedy unfolded on Saturday morning around 9 a.m. ET as the man was driving along Route 1 near Prospect Street, coinciding with the arrival of Lee's powerful winds. Responding emergency personnel had to await assistance from Central Maine Power to safely remove the man from his car. As of the latest reports, the victim remains publicly unidentified, and inquiries to the Searsport Public Safety Department have yet to yield additional information.
Maine State Police issued a warning to the public to exercise extreme caution while driving on Saturday due to the potential hazard of falling trees and debris propelled by Lee's relentless winds. This cautionary message was accompanied by a harrowing image of a van with a shattered windshield, penetrated by a section of a tree that had fallen onto Route 11 in Moro Plantation. The incident occurred as a driver from Ohio was heading south on the road and noticed a massive tree descending onto the roadway. The top of the tree pierced the windshield, causing a portion of it to break off inside the van. Fortunately, the driver sustained only minor injuries, while the five other passengers in the van emerged unscathed.
Lee experienced rapid intensification as it traveled northward through the Atlantic Ocean, ultimately reaching Category 5 hurricane status before gradually weakening over the ensuing week. Although the storm did not make landfall until Saturday, it generated life-threatening surf and rip currents along a substantial stretch of the U.S. East Coast for several days. Various storm watches and warnings were issued for coastal regions of Maine, New Hampshire, and the Canadian Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island as Lee approached Nova Scotia. The tropical storm warning for Maine was lifted by Saturday night.
By Sunday morning, the storm's maximum sustained winds had further diminished to 44 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. A bulletin issued at 8 a.m. ET forecast Lee's trajectory as it sped northeastward, with projections placing it over Newfoundland by Sunday afternoon and advancing into Atlantic waters by Monday morning.
0 Comments