Storm to strengthen as it tracks towards Atlantic Canada

Damaging winds and heavy rain are expected to pound parts of Atlantic Canada today.

Environment Canada says a low pressure system over New England will continue to strengthen as it moves north.

The Maritime provinces can expect wind gusts reaching 90 kilometres per hour today before the system moves into western Newfoundland where wind gusts up to 150 kilometres per hour are expected later this evening.

The national weather forecaster says up to 30 millimetres of rain could fall across the Maritimes, and rough surf is also expected.

Related: Spring flooding cost Ontario and Quebec $223 million

Thousands of people in the U.S. were without power early Monday as the storm blew through the northeast.

Southern New England appeared to suffer the brunt of the storm damage overnight.

Eversource reported more than 150,000 Connecticut customers were without power around 2 a.m. Monday. National Grid also reported more than 130,000 customers were without power in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

The National Weather Service said there were reports of downed trees and power lines around the region and roads that were impassable due to flash flooding.

The same storm system also caused problems in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York.

It began making its way up the East Coast on Sunday, which was also the fifth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy.

That 2012 storm was blamed for at least 182 deaths in the U.S. and Caribbean and more than $71 billion in damage in the United States.

– With files from the Associated Press

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