Maritime provinces are in cleanup mode one day after post-tropical storm Arthur pummeled the region with near-hurricane strength winds and torrential rains.

Environment Canada has lifted all storm warnings following season's first major storm.

Other than some heavy rain and gusty winds in Newfoundland on Sunday, most of Arthur's impacts are over, according to Canadian Hurricane Centre.

Crews are now working to restore power and clean-up downed trees in communities worst-hit by the storm.

At the storm's height, more than 250,000 homes and businesses were in the dark.

In New Brunswick, 95,110 customers remained without power as of Sunday evening. Nova Scotia Power reported 192 outages that affected 80,060 customers,  while nearly 5,000 remained in the dark in Prince Edward Island. 

Some customers have been told that they could be in the dark until Tuesday.

In Fredericton, one of the cities hardest-hit by Arthur, an estimated 2,500 trees were pulled from the ground or snapped in half by the storm's strong winds, damaging power lines in the process. City officials have said it will likely be three weeks before all the bigger trees are cleaned-up.

New Brunswick Premier David Alward told CTV Atlantic that about 25 trees fell on his property alone. One fell on the house, and other downed trees broke fences.

Alward said generators were being circulated through rural communities without power. NB Power has warned that some remote areas could be in the dark until Wednesday.

"All of those things we take so much for granted, right now in New Brunswick everything is upside down," Alward said. 

In some parts of the province on Sunday, residents waited in long line-ups at gas stations and coffee shops. A number of New Brunswick municipalities also opened reception centres where residents without power could charge electronics, including their phones.

New Brunswick experienced the most severe rainfall and localized flooding. The southwest town of Saint Stephen was soaked with more than 140 millimetres of rain by Sunday morning.

Despite the devastation, the city's head of public safety Wayne Tallon said residents remain in positive spirits.

"So far I can't be more pleased with the residents of the city," he said. "They've been very cooperative with us and very patient."

Arthur's strongest winds were measured at Greenwood, N.S., which experienced powerful gusts of nearly 140 km/h.

John Simmons, acting superintendent for Halifax's parks department, said the city was prepared for the Arthur's damage.

"All the saws were sharpened, and all the gas tanks were filled," he told CTV Atlantic.

The storm's centre was expected to move into the open Atlantic by late Sunday, but its dwindling effects will continue to be felt in Newfoundland overnight.

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Atlantic