Lee lashes Maine, Canada with whipping winds, heavy rain as thousands remain without power
Officials say a 15-year-old boy in Florida and a 50-year-old man in Maine were killed due to the effects of Lee.
NHC says goodbye Lee and Margot and keeps watch on Tropical Storm Nigel
The last advisories from the National Hurricane Center have been issued for Lee and Margot. The NHC continues to issue advisories for a new disturbance off African and Tropical Storm Nigel.
BAR HARBOR, Maine - The cleanup is underway in Maine and Canada after Post-Tropical Cyclone Lee blasted heavy rain and strong winds that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers and killed at least two people.
On the heels of Lee, another storm system will be swooping into the Northeast, bringing the risk of more heavy rain for the third time in less than a week.
Lee leaves at least 2 dead in Florida, Maine
Winds from Lee brought down a large tree in Maine that crashed through the windshield of a van, narrowly missing the driver and his passengers.
(Maine State Police/Facebook)
At least two deaths have been attributed to Lee so far, and other Lee-related injuries have been reported.
The first death occurred in Florida earlier this week as then-Hurricane Lee churned up the Atlantic Ocean and caused dangerous rip currents along the coast. Officials in Fernandina Beach said a 15-year-old boy drowned.
FLORIDA, MAINE REPORT FATALITIES CONNECTED TO LEE
Officials said the teen was swimming with two other people when he disappeared after falling off a raft. The two other swimmers were helped back to shore, but a search was launched for the missing teen, and his body was eventually found.
On Saturday, police said winds from Post-Tropical Cyclone Lee knocked down a tree onto a car in Searsport, Maine, killing a 50-year-old man inside.
![Tree falls onto a Jeep in Chatham, Massachusetts.]()
Image 1 of 16Tree falls onto a Jeep in Chatham, Massachusetts. (Katie Byrne)
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Image 2 of 16Waves crash onto the shore at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. (Robert Ray)
![Boat in Bar Harbor, Maine.]()
Image 3 of 16Boat in Bar Harbor, Maine. (Michael Estime)
![A boat flipped over in Chatham, Massasschuttes, on Saturday, as Lee made it's way north into Canada.]()
Image 4 of 16A boat flipped over in Chatham, Massasschuttes, on Saturday as Lee made it's way north into Canada. (Chris Magauran)
![A tree is seen knocked down in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Sept. 16, 2023.]()
Image 5 of 16A tree is seen knocked down in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Sept. 16, 2023. (Samantha Thomas)
![A resident walks her dog on a beach during post-tropical cyclone Lee in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023.]()
Image 6 of 16A resident walks her dog on a beach during post-tropical cyclone Lee in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. (Galit Rodan/Bloomberg)
![An uprooted tree tangled in a power line during post-tropical cyclone Lee in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023.]()
Image 7 of 16An uprooted tree tangled in a power line during post-tropical cyclone Lee in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. (Galit Rodan/Bloomberg )
![Check out the wave action in Yarmouth Sound as Lee churns to the southern tip of Nova Scotia. Landfall is expected somewhere in this area Saturday afternoon.]()
Image 8 of 16Check out the wave action in Yarmouth Sound as Lee churns to the southern tip of Nova Scotia. Landfall is expected somewhere in this area Saturday afternoon. (Robert Ray)
![Check out the wave action in Yarmouth Sound as Lee churns to the southern tip of Nova Scotia. Landfall is expected somewhere in this area Saturday afternoon.]()
Image 9 of 16Check out the wave action in Yarmouth Sound as Lee churns to the southern tip of Nova Scotia. Landfall is expected somewhere in this area Saturday afternoon. (Robert Ray)
![Central Maine Power said Saturday morning that they were already seeing damage from Lee with impacts picking up throughout the day.]()
Image 10 of 16Central Maine Power said Saturday morning that they were already seeing damage from Lee with impacts picking up throughout the day. (Central Maine Power via X)
![Central Maine Power said Saturday morning that they were already seeing damage from Lee with impacts picking up throughout the day.]()
Image 11 of 16Central Maine Power said Saturday morning that they were already seeing damage from Lee with impacts picking up throughout the day. (Central Maine Power via X)
![A pine tree lays on power lines after it was knocked over due to Post-Tropical Cyclone Lee on September 16, 2023 in Eastport, Maine.]()
Image 12 of 16A pine tree lays on power lines after it was knocked over due to Post-Tropical Cyclone Lee on September 16, 2023 in Eastport, Maine. (Joe Raedle)
![People walk as the wind and rain from what was formerly Hurricane Lee and is now a post-tropical cyclone affect the area on September 16, 2023 in Eastport, Maine.]()
Image 13 of 16People walk as the wind and rain from what was formerly Hurricane Lee and is now a post-tropical cyclone affect the area on September 16, 2023 in Eastport, Maine. (Joe Raedle)
![Lisa Stephen walks her dogs in the wind and rain from what was formerly Hurricane Lee and is now a post-tropical cyclone on September 16, 2023 in Eastport, Maine.]()
Image 14 of 16Lisa Stephen walks her dogs in the wind and rain from what was formerly Hurricane Lee and is now a post-tropical cyclone on September 16, 2023 in Eastport, Maine. (Joe Raedle)
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Image 15 of 16A statue stands in the wind and rain from what was formerly Hurricane Lee and is now a post-tropical cyclone on September 16, 2023 in Eastport, Maine. (Joe Raedle)
![The National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine, said mammatus clouds outside their office Saturday morning was an ominous sign of things to come today.]()
Image 16 of 16The National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine, said mammatus clouds outside their office Saturday morning was an ominous sign of things to come today. ( NWS Caribou / X)
Officials said the tree also took down power lines, and first responders needed to wait for power to be cut to reach the victim, who has been identified by FOX 23 Maine as Gary Phillips. They eventually reached Phillips and took him to a local hospital, where he later died.
According to the report, Phillips was getting ready to celebrate his 5-year-old daughter's birthday. A GoFundMe has since been set up to help the family.
A group of people driving in Moro Plantation, Maine, had a close call when a large tree fell across Route 11.
Maine State Police said the driver of a van swerved to avoid the tree but was unable to avoid it. The top of the tree then went through the windshield, narrowly missing the driver and his passenger.
The driver received minor injuries, and no injuries were reported to any of the passengers.
A tree is seen on a police cruiser in Cohasset, Massachusetts, on Saturday, September 16, 2023.
(FOX Weather)
A police officer was able to escape injuries in Cohasset, Massachusetts, after winds from Lee brought down a large tree. Police said an officer responded to reports of low-hanging wires in the area of South Maine Street and River Road on Saturday.
While the officer was outside his cruiser, he heard a loud snap and saw a large tree falling toward him. He was able to run and get out of the way before the tree landed on his cruiser.
What’s next for Lee?
(FOX Weather)
More than 300,000 customers in the U.S. and Canada lost power during the peak of Lee; however, crews have been out in full force making repairs to downed utility lines to bring customers back online.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TROPICAL STORM AND A SUBTROPICAL STORM?
As of Sunday afternoon, there were about 22,000 customers in the dark in Maine, while just over 57,000 were without power in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Cell phone service was also reported to be spotty in the region, which was likely a result of widespread power outages.
(FOX Weather)
Lee made landfall just after 4 p.m. on Saturday in Long Island, Nova Scotia, with winds of about 70 mph. As of Sunday afternoon, Post-Tropical-Cyclone Lee had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph with higher gusts and was moving to the northeast at 22 mph. The NHC said it would no longer issue advisories on Lee after 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Boat breaks free, slams into Maine pier
Boat hits pier, seawall in Maine as waves from Lee crash onto shore
FOX Weather meteorologist Michael Estime captures the moment powerful waves from Lee push a boat against a concrete pier and seawall in Bar Harbor, Maine. Sept. 16, 2023.
On Saturday morning, FOX Weather meteorologist Michael Estime was covering the storm from Bar Harbor, Maine, when he witnessed a boat being forcefully propelled by strong waves towards a concrete pier before it slammed into a seawall.
"We watched as one of these boats … became unhinged and the boat was rocking and rolling … and within 30 seconds that wind took that boat and smacked it up against the seawall right behind Pier No. 2, and then we lost it as it sailed out of our field of vision," he said.
Watch: Police help lost seal find its way back to the ocean in Massachusetts
Police in Provincetown, Massachusetts, shared video of officers helping a stranded seal find its way back home after apparently getting confused in a marsh area when the tide went out.
Police in Provincetown, Massachusetts, were able to help a lost seal that had become stranded in a marshy area when the tide went out on Saturday night.
In a Facebook post, police said they received reports of the lost gray seal that had wandered into the middle of a roadway near the AWOL Hotel around 9 p.m.
Officers said they worked to clear a path for the seal so it could make its way back to the beach and the ocean.
The seal eventually made it back and police said it wasn't injured when it returned to its natural habitat.
Lee caused whipping winds from New England to Canada
(FOX Weather)
Lee produced hurricane-force wind gusts in both the U.S. and Canada before making landfall.
In Perry, Maine, near the Canada–U.S. border, a wind gust reached 83 mph early Saturday morning. A gust on Canada's Grand Manan Island reached 93 mph while Halifax, Nova Scotia, hit 73 mph. An observation site in New Brunswick reported a wind gust of 93 mph.
At the higher elevations, Lee helped produce a wind gust of 96 mph at Mount Washington in New Hampshire.