A houseboat breaks free of its mooring in Mahone Bay, N.S., as Earl storms through. (Courtesy of Lawrence Mahaney)One person has died in Nova Scotia in an incident related to Hurricane Earl.

Halifax Regional Police said two men made their way at about 2 p.m. AT Saturday to a boat that had slipped its moorings at Blind Bay, about 25 kilometres from downtown Halifax, though it wasn't clear how they reached the boat.

Once the vessel was reattached, one of the men dived into the water to swim back to land but remained under the surface.

Police have identified the man as 54-year-old Johnny Mitchell Jr. from Bayside, N.S.

He was unresponsive when he was brought to shore, police say. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

Hurricane Earl landed in Lunenburg County as a Category 1 hurricane at about 11:30 a.m. AT, but weakened to a tropical storm as it moved inland, said CBC meteorologist Peter Coade.

Around the time of the accident, winds were gusting at 100 km/h.

Earl brought high winds and heavy rain, knocking out power to more than 200,000 customers as it moved through the Maritimes.

Newfoundland next

And Earl isn't quite done yet. There is a tropical storm warning for the entire western coast of Newfoundland.

There are public wind warnings over the same area, as well as Ramea-Connaigre.

Sustained winds of 63 km/h or more are possible, according to the warning.

Maximum gusts of 130 km/h are possible in the Wreckhouse area, a region in southwestern Newfoundland known for extreme winds. Other areas can expect gusts of up to 100 km/h.

Heavy rains are also possible.

Environment Canada also said the potential for high waves and pounding surf exist along the south coast from Cape Ray to the Burin Peninsula, and along the west coast this evening as far north as Corner Brook.

Nova Scotia's south shore experienced waves Saturday afternoon of between 10 and 14 metres, Environment Canada said.

N.S. sees 135 km/h winds

The highest winds recorded in Nova Scotia were gusts of 135 km/h. Gusts greater than 120 km/h are considered hurricane strength.

Halifax was lashed with wind gusts up to 109 km/h, leaving roads littered with fallen trees.

Emergency crews also responded to several electrical fires.

Power outages were reported all around Nova Scotia, from the southwest tip to Cape Breton. About 221,000 homes and businesses were without electricity as of 5 p.m. AT. Some homes may not have their power restored until Monday night.

The provincial Emergency Management Office urged Nova Scotians to remain inside during the storm and stay off the roads. Police said vehicles were hydroplaning on a slick section of Highway 102 in the Halifax area.

"I'm asking all Nova Scotians to make safety a priority today," said Ramona Jennex, the minister responsible for the EMO.

The road to Peggys Cove was blocked to keep storm watchers away.

"We don't want people thinking they are going to go out and play in the waves and put themselves in harm's way," said RCMP Const. Meredith Darrah.

Highway 207 near Lawrencetown Beach, a popular spot for surfing, was closed Saturday afternoon as water washed in toward the road.

Ferry service in Halifax was temporarily suspended and the Mackay Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles.

Bridge restrictions

The Confederation Bridge, which connects P.E.I. with New Brunswick, was closed to high-sided vehicles because of the strong winds. It has since reopened to all traffic. Northumberland Ferries cancelled all crossings between P.E.I. and northern Nova Scotia for the day.

Trees are down all over the Halifax area, causing widespread power outages. (Craig Paisley/CBC)

The storm tracked more to the east than expected.

Strong winds and bursts of rain heralded the onslaught of Earl, starting in the Yarmouth area at about 6 a.m. AT.

"It'll calm down and then for 10 minutes it will just pour," said CBC reporter Blair Sanderson.

Coade said the heaviest rain usually falls to the left of the storm's centre, while the strongest winds are to the right.

Flights cancelled

In New Brunswick, Saint John was hit with sporadic rain and wind early Saturday, but the province was largely spared.

All flights out of the Saint John airport were cancelled until late afternoon. The first crossings of the day for the Grand Manan ferry were cancelled as well. In Moncton, all morning flights were cancelled.

While U.S. forecasters downgraded Earl to a tropical storm late Friday, the Canadian Hurricane Centre was still calling it a hurricane early Saturday.

Chris Fogarty, the Canadian centre's program manager, said it was a matter of "semantics," since the difference in wind speed according to the two hurricane centres was marginal. He said a buoy off Nova Scotia tallied hurricane wind speeds of 120 km/h late Saturday morning.