Heavy rainfall and strong winds pounded parts of southern and eastern Newfoundland as tropical storm Florence made its way through the region.

Winds that began gaining strength at about midnight Tuesday reached as high as 120 km/h by noon Wednesday.

The wild weather triggered flooding along some streets, caused rivers to swell and created high waves along the shore that pounded the coast.

There were isolated blackouts in the west end of St. John's and on the Burin Peninsula along the province's south coast, affecting 1,600 customers. Power was restored by the day's end, Newfoundland Power officials said.

The weather is caused by the tail end of Florence, which was downgraded from hurricane status before it hit the coast.

Forecasters had predicted more damage from Florence before it weakened.

By nightfall, Florence was about 50 kilometres east of Cape Race -- near the southern tip of the Avalon Peninsula -- moving east-northeast at 41 km/h, and was expected to drift back into the Atlantic.

Analysts predicted the possibility of a heavy storm season in Atlantic Canada this year, based on the fact that the temperature of a large section of the North Atlantic was three degrees above normal, hampering the ocean's ability to cool and calm tropical storms.

Newfoundland has a long history of weathering heavy storms. Over the last 35 years, on average, one tropical storm per year has passed within 300 kilometres of the province.

Meanwhile, Gordon became the third hurricane in the 2006 Atlantic season when its winds reached 145 km/h on Wednesday.

Analysts say Gordon will remain over water and isn't a threat to land, but it's expected to pass just east of Bermuda.

With files from The Canadian Press