People across central and eastern Canada hunkered down to face powerful winds and a deluge of rain as approaching superstorm Sandy hit the U.S. and gradually wheeled its way north.

The impact of the weather system extended over a thousand kilometres away from the storm, according to the Canadian Hurrican Centre, with southern Ontario and Quebec experiencing high wind gusts and periods of heavy rain on Monday night.

In Toronto, police said a woman had been killed by a falling sign as strong winds whipped the city. A spokesman said witnesses reported the woman was struck while walking through a parking lot as winds gusted around 65 kilometres per hour.

The Hurricane Centre said northerly winds were increasing over southern Ontario Monday night, with some areas reporting gusts above 80 kilometres per hour which were expected to get stronger. Meanwhile, south western Nova Scotia was also being whipped by gusty winds.

Officials warned residents in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes to prepare, though the East Coast of the United States was expected to bear the brunt of the unusually large storm.

Sandy, which forecasters downgraded from a hurricane to an intense post-tropical storm, made landfall in New Jersey early Monday evening. It was expected to continue to churn north and northwest, lashing parts of Canada Monday night.

From The Canadian Press