HALIFAX – What was left of hurricane Irene may have lost steam as it stormed through southern Quebec and the Maritimes on Monday, but the post-tropical storm still packed a powerful, windy punch.
Environment Canada said the strongest winds were felt just east of Quebec City on Ile d’Orleans, where gusts of 113 kilometres an hour were reported.
The storm also brought strong winds, gusting near 90 km/h, to parts of southern New Brunswick, northern and mainland Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, downing trees in some areas and knocking out power.
Forecasters expected Irene’s heavy winds to persist until midday, and warnings were in effect for the Maritime provinces and southern Quebec.
“It’s still quite a large system,” said Linda Libby, a meteorologist with Environment Canada in Charlottetown.
“Here in the Maritimes for the most part, it’s mainly now a wind event.”
Tens of thousands of power customers woke up to no electricity in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The Maritime numbers, however, paled in comparison to Quebec, where 215,000 customers were without power on Monday morning.
Hydro-Quebec said most of the outages were in the Montreal area as the outer fringes of the storm brought heavy rain and gusts to the region.
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The wind also led to travel restrictions on the Confederation Bridge linking New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island on Monday. Flights were cancelled at the airport in Moncton, N.B., while there were delays reported at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
By mid-morning, the Canadian Hurricane Centre said Irene was about 55 kilometres south-southeast of Baie Comeau, Que. The storm was moving northeast at 45 km/h and packing maximum sustained winds of 95 km/h.
A tropical storm warning was lifted early Monday for portions of coastal Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, but forecasters warned Irene was still capable of causing dangerous storm surges in coastal areas and flooding.
Forecasters called for higher than normal water levels and heavy pounding surf along the Fundy coast of New Brunswick and the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Environment Canada said six-metre waves were reported over western Maritime waters.
By mid-morning, the sun had begun to break through the clouds in some areas, including Charlottetown. But Libby warned that people should remain wary.
“It may be misleading for some people that it’s totally over with,” she said.
“With the wind and the fact that the trees are still in full leaf … people still need to exercise caution, particularly in any areas that may have had trees or branches come down overnight.”
Nova Scotia’s Emergency Management Office said there had been no major emergencies reported in the province, but it advised residents to watch out for debris.
“Even after a storm has passed, it can cause some hazards, including road hazards,” said Michelle Perry, a spokeswoman for the office.
Rainfall warnings were lifted for New Brunswick, but remained in effect for portions of southern and eastern Quebec.
Environment Canada said 107 millimetres of rain had already been dumped on Sherbrooke, Que. In New Brunswick, the soggiest community was Doaktown, which reported 89 millimetres of rain.
Parts of Labrador were expected to receive between 20 and 40 millimetres of rain as Irene tracked north.
In the United States, more than 20 people were killed when Irene churned along the Eastern Seaboard. Millions were left without power and thousands of flights were cancelled.
In New York City, the metropolitan area’s transit system was shut down because of weather for the first time in its history. Limited bus service began Sunday and the subway service was expected to be partially restored early Monday, though commuters were warned to expect long waits.
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