Several thousand residents of the Atlantic coastal region south of Halifax were evacuated as a precaution, CTV television said, and all flights in and out of the city were cancelled.

Juan was bearing down on Nova Scotia late Sunday with winds of 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour, making it a category one storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, where a maximum strength hurricane is rated a five.

Juan was due to hit land around 0300 GMT Monday, forecasters said.

Heavy rain and high winds were expected in Nova Scotia and the neighboring provinces of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick.

The peak of the storm was expected to coincide with high tide, causing flooding in parts of the coast including the riverside area in downtown Halifax, the Canadian Hurricane Center said in an update late Sunday.

Residents were also warned to expect blackouts caused by trees toppling on power lines.

But Juan was expected to weaken rapidly as it crosses Nova Scotia, quickly becoming extra-tropical, forecasters said.

TERRA.WIRE