Millions under storm watches as Lee is downgraded

Fishermen in the area have been moving their boats to safety (Robert F Bukaty/AP)

The US National Hurricane Centre downgraded Hurricane Lee to a post-tropical cyclone but millions of people remained under storm watches and warnings early on Saturday as the storm still could produce hurricane-force winds, torrential rain and coastal flooding.

Severe conditions were predicted as a possibility across portions of Massachusetts and Maine and hurricane conditions could hit the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, where the storm had been predicted to make landfall later on Saturday.