(CNN) -- Eastern Canada braced for the worst of Tropical Storm Earl as New Englanders said goodbye to a heavy dose of wind and rain.
As of 8 a.m. the National Hurricane Center said the storm is "very near" Nova Scotia, about 40 miles south of Cape Sable.
A hurricane watch has been issued for a stretch of that province from Port Maitland to Point Tupper, and a tropical storm warning is in effect for the entire coast of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, the Magdalen Islands and portions of New Brunswick.
The storm -- which is packing maximum winds of 70 mph and moving at 30 mph -- is forcing the shutdown of campgrounds and and the cancellations of resort bookings in Nova Scotia.
One major event, the Wharf Rat Rally -- a Canadian motorcycle rally in Digby, Nova Scotia -- won't be canceled, and organizers plan to wait out the storm, said Glenn Dunn, a spokesman for the rally.
"We're expecting a few hours of rain and wind," he said, and he expects people to flock to the rally, which lasts through Monday, after the weather gets better. Some out-of-towners aren't used to such elements.
"We are used to weather here, and people who are not are terrified," Dunn said.
In Massachusetts, authorities are "fairly confident we'll be getting things back to normal soon" after the storm drenched New England.
CNN
