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Noreaster Hits East Coast, Power Out For 1.7M People

Noreaster Causes 1.7M Power Outages Along East Coast
AP/The Huffington Post
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STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) An unusually early and powerful nor'easter dumped wet, heavy snow Saturday on parts of the mid-Atlantic region, weighing down or toppling leafy trees and power lines and knocking out electricity for 1.7 million as the storm headed toward New England.

Communities inland were getting hit hardest, with eastern Pennsylvania serving as the bull's-eye for the storm, said National Weather Service spokesman Chris Vaccaro. Some places got more than half a foot of snow, and towns near the Maryland-Pennsylvania border saw 10 inches fall. And New York City's Central Park set a record for both the date and the month of October with 1.3 inches of snow by midafternoon and more falling.

More than 1.7 million customers lost power from Maryland north through Massachusetts, and utilities were bringing in crews from other states to help restore it. Half a million in New Jersey were without power, including Gov. Chris Christie, and almost as many were in the dark in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Both New Jersey and Connecticut declared states of emergencies.Throughout the region, officials had warned that the early storm would bring sticky snow on the heels of the week's warmer weather and could create dangerous conditions.

And the storm was expected to worsen as it swept north. The heaviest snowfall was forecast for later in the day into Sunday in the Massachusetts Berkshires, the Litchfield Hills in northwestern Connecticut, southwestern New Hampshire and the southern Green Mountains. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph were predicted especially along coastal areas.

Some said that even though they knew a storm was coming, the severity caught them by surprise.

Noreaster Causes Record New York Snow
October Snowstorm Hits The Northeast(01 of11)
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NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 29: A man adjusts his umbrella in the snow in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan on October 29, 2011 in New York City. An early winter snowstorm is delivering up to ten inches of snow to certain areas in the East Coast. In the past 135 years there have been only three days of measurable snowfall in October in New York City's Central Park. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
New Yorkers make their way under a snow(02 of11)
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New Yorkers make their way under a snow fall in New York, October 29, 2011. New York has been hit by snowfall before Halloween for only the fourth time since the US Civil War. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
New Yorkers make their way through falli(03 of11)
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New Yorkers make their way through falling snow in New York, October 29, 2011. New York has been hit by snowfall before Halloween for only the fourth time since the US Civil War (1861-1865). AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
A street stands nearly deserted as snow(04 of11)
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A street stands nearly deserted as snow falls in New York on October 29, 2011. New York has been hit by snowfall before Halloween for only the fourth time since the US Civil War. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
October Snowstorm Hits The Northeast(05 of11)
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NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 29: People walk through the snow in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan on October 29, 2011 in New York City. An early winter snowstorm is delivering up to ten inches of snow to certain areas in the East Coast. In the past 135 years there have been only three days of measurable snowfall in October in New York City's Central Park. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
An Occupy Wall Street supporter braves t(06 of11)
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An Occupy Wall Street supporter braves the elements standing in protest while the season's first snow falls over Zuccotti Park in New York, October 29, 2011. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
October Snowstorm Hits The Northeast(07 of11)
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NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 29: A couple walks through the snow in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan on October 29, 2011 in New York City. An early winter snowstorm is delivering up to ten inches of snow to certain areas in the East Coast. In the past 135 years there have been only three days of measurable snowfall in October in New York City's Central Park. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (credit:Getty)
(08 of11)
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People enter a subway station in New York as it snows Saturday Oct. 29, 2011. A classic nor'easter is moving along the East Coast and is expected to dump anywhere from a dusting of snow to about 10 inches throughout the region starting Saturday, a decidedly unseasonal date for a type of storm more associated with midwinter. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
(09 of11)
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Outdoor Halloween decorations get covered with snow as it falls Saturday Oct. 29, 2011 in New York. A classic nor'easter is moving along the East Coast and is expected to dump anywhere from a dusting of snow to about 10 inches throughout the region starting Saturday, a decidedly unseasonal date for a type of storm more associated with midwinter. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
(10 of11)
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Train tracks are seen covered in snow outside Long Island Railroad railyard, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in New York. A classic nor'easter made its way along the East Coast Saturday and is expected to dump anywhere from a dusting of snow to about 10 inches throughout the region. (AP Photo/Karly Domb Sadof)
(11 of11)
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The New York City skyline is seen covered after a unseasonable snow storm, Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011, in New York. A classic nor'easter made its way along the East Coast Saturday and is expected to dump anywhere from a dusting of snow to about 10 inches throughout the region. (AP Photo/Karly Domb Sadof)

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