Hurricane Lee to strike weather-worn New England after heavy rain, flooding and tornadoes

By DAVID SHARP and PATRICK WHITTLE
Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — After days of torrential rain, flooding, sinkholes and tornadoes, New England is about to face Hurricane Lee. As the Category 1 system impacted Bermuda, Maine Gov. Janet Mills declared a state of emergency on Thursday. The state was also under its first hurricane watch in 15 years. The water-logged region is getting ready for wind gusts up to 80 mph, along with more rain. A tropical storm warning extended south through Massachusetts, with powerful winds forecast to arrive late Friday in southern New England. Maine was to see the brunt of the storm on Saturday. In Canada, residents of western Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick were warned about the risk of power outages and flooding this weekend.