Earl made landfall in the province as a Category 1 hurricane near the Shelburne County and Queens County line around 10:30 a.m., September 4, Environment Canada said.
But Earl's fury was felt across Lunenburg County earlier in the morning with the first initial reports of power outages caused by heavy wind and rain coming in the Chester area where Nova Scotia Power indicated, as of September 5, that 400 customers were still in the dark. The utility figured most areas would have power restored by the evening of September 6.
Electricity disruptions were aplenty, caused largely by tree branches breaking off from the storm-force winds or the trees themselves felled by Mother Nature's wrath. Environment Canada reported the Lunenburg station's peak wind at 111 km/h, although higher winds were reported elsewhere in the province.
"Peak winds of hurricane force were received from numerous observing sites within the Halifax Regional Municipality and harbour with a maximum of 130 km/h reported from McNabs Island," said a report from Environment Canada.
The gusts were responsible for numerous dispatches to emergency crews to respond to downed or burning power lines. Fire crews were sent to the China Lake Road in Italy Cross, Highway 10 in Cookville, Highway 325 in Maitland, Shady Lane in Waterloo and Huey Lake Road in West Dublin, to mention a few.
A section of Green Bay Road and part of Highway 331 between Wentzell Road and the Rissers Beach area in Petite Riviere was closed for several hours due to fallen live power lines or downed trees. The Petite Riviere fire department opened a comfort station at their hall for residents.
Regional emergency management co-ordinator Heather MacKenzie-Carey, who oversees operations in Bridgewater, Mahone Bay and the municipalities of Chester and Lunenburg, said communication links remained strong before and during Earl and believes residents took the weather event seriously and were better prepared.
Museums, tourist bureaus, farm markets, national parks including Kejimkujik and provincial parks were closed for the day. Local events were cancelled or postponed due to the weather, including Lunenburg County SPCA's annual yard sale which was moved to the following day.
Early on during the storm Lunenburg County RCMP responded to Highway 103 outside of Bridgewater to a report of a vehicle over an embankment. There were no serious injuries.
The RCMP warned about the dangers of decreased visibility and hydroplaning on roads and highways as a result of driving in hazardous conditions.
In addition to dispatches related to electrical lines on the ground or roadways, assistance was rendered to a man on a boat near Second Peninsula who needed help getting to land. This prompted a call to the Canadian Coast Guard's inshore rescue service in Mahone Bay. No injuries were reported.
Environment Canada said waves as high as 14 metres may have washed along the Atlantic shore. The hurricane-force gusts weakened in the afternoon as Earl moved on.