Lee already taking toll in N.B. as thousands lose power before storm makes landfall

Hurricane Lee has become a post-tropical storm and is moving faster as it nears the Maritimes.

But the storm's high winds and heavy rain are already being felt in New Brunswick, where more than 35,000 N.B. Power customers are without power, and trees have already fallen. 

Lee is now expected to make landfall around midday in southwest Nova Scotia after shifting east since Friday.

It's now predicted to hit New Brunswick in the St. Martins-Fundy Trail area.

Lee transitioned to a post-tropical storm early Saturday, but the winds remained at Category 1 strength of 130 km/h at its centre, according to CBC meteorologist Ryan Snoddon. 

The highest winds are still expected to hit southwestern regions of New Brunswick, especially along exposed coastal areas, with wind gusts over 90 kilometres per hour expected for those parts.  

Trees are still in full leaf, meaning a greater chance of widespread power outages. Worst hit so far are Carleton, Charlotte and Kings counties.

Trees had been uprooted by mid-morning in Saint John, including some in King's Square in the uptown.

Farther west along the Bay of Fundy, trees have fallen on power lines.

In the Fredericton area, RCMP said Route 102 in Island View is washed out, and traffic is being diverted.  

On Friday, N.B. Power said a team of 700 personnel is prepared to tackle power restoration efforts as soon as it's safe to do so.

Government officials urged people to stay inside and be safe, guidance that also prompted Harvest Music Festival organizers to cancel all shows on Saturday.

Officials asked residents to stay away from the coastline, limit travel to essential purposes, and report outages to N.B. Power when they happen.