Earl brings strong winds to P.E.I.

Tropical storm Earl, downgraded from hurricane status, hit central and eastern Prince Edward Island with winds of about 80 km/h on Saturday.

A tropical storm warning and a wind warning remained in place for Queens and Kings counties as Earl blew through, but both kinds of warnings were lifted in Prince County.

At 5 p.m. AT, the storm had reached Îles-de-la-Madeleine but was still affecting P.E.I. with strong winds. Environment Canada said much of the Island received 25 to 30 millimetres of rain by that time.

About 2,400 customers were without electricity as of late afternoon, about half of those in the Charlottetown area, with the others in the Argyle Shore area and Montague. About 10,000 who lost power earlier have had service restored.

The ferry crossing between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S., was shut down for the day.

The Confederation Bridge is open for all vehicles. At the storm's worst peak, gusts measured at 116 km/h, just four km/h slower than hurricane strength. High-sided vehicles and motorcycles were banned on the bridge for part of the day.

Swimming was prohibited at national park beaches. Members of the Charlottetown Yacht Club had taken their boats out of the water Friday.

There were reports of at least one large tree down in Charlottetown, where winds gusted to 78 km/h at midafternoon.