(Photo: Reuters/Lucas Jackson)A woman walks down a snow-covered street during an early snow storm in New York October 29, 2011. A rare October snowstorm barreled up the heavily populated U.S. East Coast on Saturday, threatening up to a foot (30 cm) of snow, cutting power to nearly a million households and forcing at least 1,000 flight cancellations.
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An unusually early snowstorm struck the U.S. Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Saturday and carried into early Sunday, leaving three dead, 2.7 million customers without power and thousands stranded at airports and train stations.
One person died while driving in the storm in Colchester, Conn., Gov. Dannel Malloy tweeted. Another man died in Temple, Penn., after a tree fell into his house while he was napping, according to state police. One more man was electrocuted and killed in Springfield, Mass., as he got out of his car and touched a wooden guard rail that was electrified because of down power lines, according to Police Captain William Collins.
As the storm hit the Northeast region spanning from North Carolina to Maine, over 2.7 million customers lost power as of Sunday morning. As thunder and lightning struck several areas, more than 665,000 people were without power in New Jersey, over 520,000 in Connecticut, about 560,000 in Pennsylvania, more than 260,000 in New York, at least 200,000 in Massachusetts, and 26,000 in Western Maryland, according to The Associates Press.
"If you are without power, you should expect to be without power for a prolonged period of time," Gov. Malloy said.
The weather, unusual for the month of October, also caused delays for flights and trains throughout the region. Newark International Airport in New Jersey, New York’s John F. Kennedy international airport and Philadelphia International Airport were among those that reported hours of delays. Many domestic flights were cancelled. Some Amtrak and commuter trains were also delayed or suspended because of felled trees and signal problems.
For many areas, it was a record early snowfall. Some places got up to 15 inches of snow. West Milford, N.J., saw 15.5 inches; Bristol, Conn., had 11 inches; and Plainfield, Mass., had 14.3 inches, according to ABC News.
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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and governors in Connecticut and Massachusetts declared a state of emergency Saturday.
“There are trees down everywhere,” said Christie. “Don’t leave your house. There are downed power lines everywhere. Crews are out restoring power, but the best thing you can do to help is stay off the road.”
Despite the winter blast, Occupy Wall Street protesters went ahead with their planned rally at the Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park. A sign held by a protester read, “Snow, what snow? I’ve got a country to worry about.”
President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were also unfazed by the storm as they hosted area children wearing wet coats for the annual Halloween event at the White House.
“Let’s give out some candy,” said Obama. “I know it’s cold ... It’s not ideal out here.”
Coming two months after the Hurricane Irene, which killed more than 40 people in the region, it was a rare Northeaster, which is usually associated with winter or the very end of autumn. Having characteristics similar to a hurricane, the storm normally travels from the south to the northeast.
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