Hurricane Sandy causes high winds, power outages and one death in Toronto overnight

The superstorm that devastated the U.S. East Coast left its mark on Canada after one woman in Toronto was struck and killed by flying debris.

CBC News reports the woman died after being hit a large piece of sign that was dislodged by winds that reached speeds of 100 km/h.

The heavy winds of Hurricane Sandy also downed trees and caused power outages across the Toronto area overnight, leaving the region bracing for further impact on Tuesday.

Some 200,000 people lost power in southern Ontario and Quebec overnight as the storm pounded the region with high winds and heavy rain. CBC reported the brunt of the storm is expected to reach Ontario on Tuesday, but the storm has already caused major issues around the Toronto area.

Some 45,000 people remained in the dark Tuesday morning after losing power to downed power lines. CBC reports that East York, Scarborough, Upper Beaches, Leaside and the Junction were most affected by power outages.

Toronto Hydro was still reporting wide swaths of outages from Etobicoke to Scarborough, including thousands of residents affected in the downtown core.

Streetcar wires were also ripped down by heavy winds in the west end, forcing the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) to shut down service on three lines during Tuesday morning's commute. The TTC said streetcar service on King and Queen Streets were been replaced by shuttle buses between Bathurst Street and the western termination point until the system could be repaired.

About a quarter of all flights out of Toronto's Pearson International Airport on Tuesday were cancelled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, with many flights out of Billy Bishop airport also grounded until further notice.

Meantime, the Toronto District School Board closed several schools due to power outages, including DA Morrison, East York Collegiate Institute, East York Alternative, Parkside, Oak Park CTR, Jesse Ketchum, Keele St Public School, West Preparatory, Rippleton, Owen Public School, St Andrew's Junior High School, CR Marchant, Weston Collegiate Institute, Weston Memorial, Westmount and Hilltop.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board also reported that a handful of schools lost power and said classes could be cancelled if it wasn't restored by mid-morning.

Toronto fire crews were also kept busy overnight after a Roots store at Queen Street and Spadina Avenue caught fire shortly after midnight. Fire officials told the Toronto Star that the blaze could not be blamed on Hurricane Sandy, but said the wind could have made the blaze worse.

Elsewhere in southern Ontairo, Hamilton police told CBC that the effects of the storm were limited overnight, with only a few downed trees and traffic collisions reported.

In Mississauga, hydro poles and trees were knocked down, and police told Mississauga News a water main broke and sent water gushing into the streets. Similar damage was reported in Oshawa.