The National Geodetic Survey of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has recently released aerial images that display the extent of the damage caused by Tropical Storm Lee. The images were collected by NOAA aircraft starting from September 17, 2023.

Tropical Storm Lee made landfall in far western Nova Scotia, Canada on Saturday at around 4 pm. With winds reaching speeds of 70 mph, the storm resulted in the unfortunate death of one person and left thousands without electricity. In Searsport, Maine, a 51-year-old motorist lost his life after a large tree limb fell on his vehicle on a US highway. The falling tree limb caused live power lines to come down, leading to power cuts before the man could be rescued.

Accuweather, a weather news publication, reported that at its peak strength, Lee had winds of 165 mph, making it the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic basin since Dorian in 2019.

The effects of the storm extended beyond the immediate landfall area. Power outages were experienced several hundred miles away from the center of the storm. As a result, a significant number of electricity customers in Maine, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island were left without power. Uprooted trees and snapped powerlines darkened many neighborhoods, and flooding made travel impossible, leading to the cancellation of flights and ferries.

Canada has already faced several episodes of natural disasters this year, including a violent wildfire in May and deadly floods in July. In addition to Tropical Storm Lee, another storm named Hurricane Nigel is brewing over the central Atlantic and has the potential to strengthen into a major hurricane in the coming days, according to Accuweather.

The released aerial images will help assess the scale of the damage caused by Tropical Storm Lee and assist in recovery efforts.