Nova Scotians were advised Tuesday to brace for more winds and storm surges as  Monday's system continued to work its way through the province.

Environment Canada ended its rainfall warning for southwest Nova Scotia by 11 a.m. AT but storm surge warnings remained in effect from Lunenburg to Halifax.

Coastal areas of Shelburne, Queens and Lunenburg counties were also told to expect wind gusts of up to 100 km/h.

Overnight Monday, strong winds knocked out power in parts of Shelburne County. Students from Cape Sable Island and Clarkes Harbour elementary schools were sent home Tuesday because of the outages.

In Yarmouth, high winds overnight caused some damage to the local breakwater and water was spilling over the road in at least four spots.

Environment Canada had warned Nova Scotians to expect a wet and windy time.

The forecast called for high winds and heavy rain for southern parts of the province, as well as storm surges that could cause flooding and damage to coastal property.

A storm surge is an abnormal rise in water level caused by wind and the pressure forces of a storm. It's the result of high winds pushing on the ocean's surface.

The storm made its way to Canada through the eastern United States.

With files from the Canadian Press