Storm Fiona, which hit eastern Canada, brought strong winds and torrential rain on Saturday, knocking out power to more than 500,000 homes, in conditions described by police as "unlike anything we've seen before."

Despite being downgraded from a hurricane, Fiona carried winds of 85 miles (137 kilometers) per hour as it reached the coast of eastern Canada in the early hours of the morning from the Caribbean, according to meteorologists.

In Nova Scotia, the storm left more than 400,000 homes without electricity.

On neighboring Prince Edward Island, about 82,000 homes were without power as police in Charlottetown, the provincial capital, released pictures of tangled power lines and fallen roofs.

"The conditions are unlike anything we've seen before," police wrote on Twitter.

"It's unbelievable, there's no electricity, no Wi-Fi," Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown told Radio Canada.

"It's stronger than Hurricane Juan in 2003," he added. "Many trees were uprooted, and many roads were flooded."

Canada issued severe weather warnings for large areas of its eastern coast.

"High winds, strong storms and heavy rains are expected to have significant impacts," the US National Hurricane Center said in an advisory report.

As for the Canadian Hurricane Center, it said that strong winds were reported in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Isle of La Madeleine and Newfoundland, and that the storm would move towards the northeast, causing "devastating winds and high waves."

Precipitation was recorded at an average of 125 mm in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, with strong waves in Nova Scotia and western Newfoundland with a height of 12 meters.

The Canadian Hurricane Center predicted conditions would improve in western Nova Scotia and eastern New Brunswick Saturday.

Authorities in Nova Scotia have issued an emergency phone alert urging residents to stay home and stock up on supplies for at least 72 hours.

In Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, propane gas cylinders for camping stoves are running out of stores as residents stockpile large quantities. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the storm as "bad," noting that it "could have significant impacts across the region."

-Fiona gets hit hard in Puerto Rico-

Storm Fiona had avoided the Bermuda archipelago the day before, with authorities warning residents to stay indoors in the British territory. No deaths or major damage were reported as the storm passed about 100 miles west of the island.

Bermuda, whose economy is fueled by international finance and tourism, is rich compared to most Caribbean countries, and its buildings are built according to strict storm-resistant rules. Societies have followed this for centuries.

Hurricane Fiona killed four people in Puerto Rico earlier in the week, according to the American media, and one death was reported in Guadeloupe, which is French, and two in the Dominican Republic, where a state of emergency was declared in three provinces in the east.

President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico, a US region still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria five years ago.

In the Dominican Republic, President Luis Abi Nader declared three eastern provinces disaster areas.