Post-Tropical Cyclone Lee made landfall at near-hurricane strength on Saturday in Nova Scotia, Canada, after bringing destructive winds, rough surf and torrential rains to a large swath of New England and Maritime Canada that toppled trees, swamped coastlines and cut power to tens of thousands.

With sustained winds of 110 kilometers per hour, the center of the post-tropical cyclone came ashore about 215 kilometers west of Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

In Maine, nearly 70,000 customers were out of power as of late Saturday, according to website PowerOutages.us.

Fierce waves lashing Nova Scotia's shoreline littered flooded coastal roads with debris in some localities.

Lee flooded coastal roads in Nova Scotia and took ferries out of service as it fanned anxiety in a region still reeling from wildfires and severe flooding this summer. The province's largest airport, Halifax Stanfield International, cancelled all flights.

In the United States, a tropical storm warning remained in effect from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, north to the U.S.-Canada border.

In anticipation of the storm's impact, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration issued an emergency declaration for Maine and Massachusetts. 

A 51-year-old motorist in Searsport, Maine, died after a large tree limb fell on his vehicle Saturday on U.S. Highway 1 during a period of high winds, the first fatality attributed to the storm, according to the Associated Press. 

Storm surge of up to 0.91 meters was expected along coastal areas, accompanied by large and destructive waves, the hurricane center said. Lee could drop as much as 10 centimeters of rain on parts of Maine, Massachusetts, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick through Saturday night, with the potential for local flooding.

(With input from agencies)