NEW YORK (AFP) -- Rare October snows transformed the
northeastern U.S on Sunday into a Halloween winter wonderland, but
millions were left without power and three deaths were blamed on
the storm.
The unseasonable snowfall disrupted air, rail and road traffic
from Washington to Boston and the National Weather Service warned
of "extremely hazardous" conditions as states of emergency were
declared across the region.
Three deaths were reported: a man was killed when he touched an
electrified guardrail in Massachusetts; a motorist crashed fatally
on icy roads in Connecticut, and a Pennsylvania man was killed when
a tree fell on his home.
There was misery for some as energy companies reported up to 3
million homes without power. Worst hit were Massachusetts (660,000
customers), Connecticut (740,000), and New Jersey (500,000).
Connecticut Light & Power, a unit of Northeast Utilities
(NU), described the damage as "unprecedented" and warned residents
to prepare for a worst-case scenario of a week or more without
power.
As dawn broke with Americans gearing up for Monday's Halloween
celebrations, the extent of the snowfall was revealed--up to a
stunning 31 inches (78 centimeters) in the New Hampshire town of
Jaffrey.
In New York's Central Park, where experts said there hadn't been
an inch of snow on an October day since records began in 1869,
there were 2.9 inches.
From Washington in the south to the towns of northern
Massachusetts, there were strangely wintry scenes for
Halloween.
Ghosts and ghouls on front lawns and porches were shrouded in
snow. Families stocking up on candy prepared for some particularly
chilly trick-or-treating with shovels and salt at the ready.
Air travelers who had seen an average delay of six hours on
Saturday were faring better as major airports in New Jersey, New
York and Massachusetts reported flight schedules returning to
normal.
Rail travel had also been hit, with multiple Amtrak services
remaining canceled along the busy northeast corridors due to signal
problems caused by the storm.
Passengers on one train in rural Vermont were trapped overnight
after it hit a tree on the line at around 4:00 pm (2000 GMT) on
Saturday. They were finally allowed off, some 20 hours later, at
midday (1600 GMT) on Sunday.
An average of a foot (30 centimeters) of snow fell in parts of
Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Jersey.
Unseasonably cold air was pouring into the northeast, and deep
tropical moisture was set to surge northward along the east coast
and "fuel an expanding area of heavy rain and snow," the National
Weather Service said.
Much of the region was hit by Hurricane Irene in August. Its
heavy rains and wind killed more than 40 people, left millions
without power, destroyed homes and caused record flooding.
The unseasonably cold and wet weather didn't dampen the spirits
of anti-Wall Street protesters camped out in New York and
Washington.
"Snow, what snow? I've got a country to worry about," read a
sign held by a woman at New York's Zuccotti Park -- the nerve
center of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
At the White House, President Barack Obama and wife Michelle
didn't let the weather ruin their annual Halloween
trick-or-treating event, handing out candy, cookies and dried fruit
to children wrapped up in thick coats.