Dorian tore across Canada’s Atlantic coast early Sunday, knocking out power to half a million customers despite losing some strength after leaving the United States.
The storm was a Category 1 hurricane when it made one final US stop in New England. It downgraded into a post-tropical cyclone and made landfall Saturday evening near Sambro Creek in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Its heavy rains and powerful winds downed trees in in Nova Scotia and surrounding areas, with threatening surf expected to affect the coast of Canada over the next few days.
Before its landfall in Canada, Dorian’s nearly two-week path unleashed devastation in the Bahamas, where it flattened homes and swept away neighborhoods, leaving at least 43 people dead. It’s left as many as 70,000 people homeless in the islands.
In the United States, several cities were cleaning up after it made landfall in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and brushed other East Coast states. Five deaths have been blamed on the storm so far.
Hurricane warnings still in effect
The storm is still dangerous with maximum sustained winds equivalent to a hurricane. Hurricane warnings remain in effect for parts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, the National Hurricane Center said. It added that 500,000 customers have lost power across the Canadian Maritimes, which include the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
It’s packing maximum winds near 90 mph, which are occurring mainly over water, the National Hurricane Center said. The post-tropical cyclone is forecast to drop below hurricane strength Sunday.
The hurricane center downgraded it from a hurricane to a post-tropical cyclone Saturday. The loss of its hurricane status means it no longer has a warm core, CNN meteorologist Gene Norman said.
“While the change in classification is technical, the fact of the matter is it’s still a dangerous situation and people in the area should not let their guard down,” Norman said.
