Hundreds of thousands of people remained without electricity on Sunday, after a fierce storm swept through much of the eastern United States on Friday. Some utility companies told customers that power may not be restored until later this week, around the time another storm could strike the region.

At least eight people died after heavy snow, winds and rain tore through the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic on Friday. Trains were halted, planes delayed and roads closed. At its peak, more than two million people were affected by power losses, from South Carolina to Michigan to Maine, the United States Department of Energy reported.

The potential exists for another nor’easter to move in, probably Wednesday into Thursday, Marc Chenard, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service’s prediction center, said in a phone interview on Sunday.

He said this storm could be less powerful, and was unlikely to match the strong winds that toppled so many trees on Friday. “The snow may end up being the bigger thing to watch with this next system,” he added.