Three million on the East Coast could be without power for DAYS after New York was hit by deadly October snow storm... and there's more on the way



Governors declare states of emergency in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York

Great-grandmother, 77, dies when power outage stops her oxygen machine. Another dead in Pennsylvania after tree crashes into his home as he takes a nap. Man electrocuted in Massachusetts



Icy roads cause horrific highway pileup in the Bronx, New York that kills woman, 20, bringing death toll to five, and left 16 injured



In excess of 3 million people from Maryland to New England lost power, with some predicting it could be off for days

Earliest New York City one-inch snowfall since records began

More than 1,000 flights in or out of America cancelled



Parts of North East receive more than two feet of snow as records tumble



Only fourth time since Civil War that snow has fallen in NYC in October



New York City and the East Coast are picking up the pieces hit by more than one inch of snowfall before Halloween for the first time ever - with experts predicting much more on the way.

Three people were killed as the classic nor'easter chugged up the East Coast at an unusually early period and more than three million homes have lost power in the storm. Officials warned it could be days before electricity is restored for many.



Governors declared states of emergency in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York, as snow blanketed areas from Maryland to Maine, snarling air and highway travel.

A 77-year-old great-grandmother died when her home lost power and her oxygen machine shut down, leaving her unable to breathe.



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Clean up begins: Jay Ericson clears snow of branches weighing down on power lines at his home following a snow storm a day earlier in Glastonbury, Connecticut today

Taking advantage: Nine-year-old Bella Takacs jumps off of a pile of snow in a parking lot in Brattleboro, Vermont, today after the unusually early snow

Still on sale? A view of a pumpkin patch covered in snow is today seen in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a day before Halloween

Heavy duty: Michael Moore uses a snowblower to clear his driveway in Townshend, Vermont today after the North East snowstorm

Paramedics battled to save her for two hours, the New York Daily News reported .

An 84-year-old Pennsylvania man was killed when a tree crashed into his house in Temple on Saturday afternoon, while he was having a nap in his recliner chair. He was killed 'instantly', according to police.

A woman died and sixteen were injured in a horrific pile-up on the Bronx Expressway. The 20-year-old and her brother were thrown 75 feet over a concrete barrier, as they examined their car on the side of the road following a collision, the New York Post.



Another person died in Colchester, Connecticut, reported Governor Dannel Malloy, who warned that some parts of the state could expect as much as 18 inches of snow.

Governor Malloy cautioned that the 750,000 homes and businesses without electricity in the state could suffer for up to a week. 'If you are without power, you should expect to be without power for a prolonged period of time,' Mr Malloy said last night.



In Springfield, Massachusetts, a fifth person was killed when a man in his 20s ignored police warnings and cross a barricade around a downed power line. He was killed when he touched a metal guard rail that was charged.

Snow depths have already topped two feet across portions of New England, while record-shattering snow hammered major North East cities including Washington DC and Philadelphia.

More than 650,000 have lost power in Massachusetts. Those without electricity number 285,000 in New Hampshire and at least 150,000 in Maine.



More than 617,000 people in New Jersey have lost power, and in New York, more than 200,000 are without it.



Utilities in Pennsylvania are saying more than 423,000 are without power, and Western Maryland had more than 29,000 outages. Central Vermont Public Service says more than 6,300 there had no power.



Firefighting in a snow storm: Boston fire fighters battle an apartment complex, five-alarm blaze in the early hours of today The apartment fire in Boston broke out just as firefighters were dealing with other emergencies caused by the snow







Roll it up: Ten-year-old Raven Hendrix builds a snowman in Townshend, Vermont, today

Power outages: A man walks near a tree down on a power line a day after a snow storm in Glastonbury, Connecticut left 700,000 in the state without power

Record snow: Shirley Sherman today cleans the white stuff from the roof of her car in Townshend, Vermont, where record October snow fell

Huge destruction: A downed tree limb lies across power lines in Belmont, Massachusetts after the unseasonally fierce snowstorm

Picturesque: A pair of horses walk through a snow covered meadow in Vermont, as the state prepares for more snowfall

More than 1,000 flights into or out of the United States were cancelled today, with New York particularly affected. JFK airport had around 230 called off by 5pm local time yesterday.

Around 60 million people will experience the rare October snowstorm, which should unleash heavy, wet snow and wind, causing fallen tree branches and potential travel chaos.

Records tumbled in cities which do not typically see their first measurable snow for another month.

Hartford, Connecticut received 12.3 inches on Saturday, crushing the previous single day record snow total in October of 1.7 inches set on October 10, 1979.



Worcester, Massachusetts got 11.4 inches, Newark, New Jersey received 5.2 inches, while 6.8 inches came down in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In each case the previous record snowfall for an October day in these places had stood for decades.

Whiteout: A jogger makes his way through Central Park as snow falls in New York City for only the fourth time in November since the Civil War

Blanketed: New York Police Department cars, parked on a sidewalk, are covered in unusually early snow

Fallen: A tree blocks the path in the Bronx, New York City Slippery: A woman walks down a snow-covered street in New York

Into the night: A New York Police Department officer stands guard at Times Square as the snow comes down

Plainfield, Massachusetts received 27.8 inches - the biggest snow total from this storm as of early Sunday morning.

By 2pm yesterday, 1.3 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park; never before in October has an inch of snow fallen on a given day in New York City.

Communities in western Massachusetts were among the hardest hit. Windsor, Massachusetts, had received 26 inches by early today, and nearby Plainfield saw 24.5 inches, and Savoy 24.

West Milford, New Jersey, about 45 miles northwest of New York City, had received 19 inches of snow by early Sunday.

Seasonal: A vehicle makes its way down Autumn Street in Lodi, New Jersey, where Governor Chris Christie called a state of emergency

Protests: Occupy Wall Street demonstrators' tents in Zuccotti Park, New York City, were covered with snow

Wipe down: Emily Andeasini, of Brooklyn, New York, cleans snow off of her car

New York City has received measurable snow before Halloween only three times since 1869 - and never more than one inch, as happened yesterday.



Snow is forecast to stop falling in New England late today as the storm tracks toward Nova Scotia, but not before accumulating up to two feet in some areas of Massachusetts.

In addition to high number of customers without electricity in Connecticut, there were more than 600,000 in New Jersey — including Governor Chris Christie — and a half-million in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania without power.



PSE&G, New Jersey's largest electric and gas utility, warned customers in a statement on its website to prepare for 'potentially lengthy outages' and advised that full restoration of power might not happen until Wednesday.

Blockage: Firefighters remove trees from the road in West Harrison, New York

Ghoulish: A taxi drives past a Halloween-decorated house as snow falls in New York today

Leap: A woman tries to jump over a puddle during an early snow storm in New York

Officials throughout the region had warned that the early storm would bring sticky snow on the heels of the week's warmer weather and could create dangerous conditions. In addition to declarations in New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for 13 counties.



'It's a little startling. I mean, it's only October,' said Craig Brodur, who was playing keno with a friend at Northampton Convenience in western Massachusetts.



By early this morning, the storm had vacated Pennsylvania and New Jersey and was tracking northeast.



Transportation officials early Sunday advised against any unnecessary travel on I-87 between New York and Albany and along I-90 in the Albany area due to heavy snow.

Snowscape: A yellow leaved tree stands on snow covered hill outside the town of Westminster, Maryland

Haze: People run for shelter in New York as the rare snowstorm hits the city today

The storm was expected to worsen as it swept north. Wind gusts of up to 55 mph were predicted especially along coastal areas.



The heaviest snow in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine was set to fall early today. Parts of southern Vermont could receive more than a foot.



The first measurable snow in New England usually falls in early December, and normal highs for late October are in the mid-50s.



Along the coast and in cities such as Boston, relatively warm water temperatures helped keep snowfall totals much lower. Washington received a trace of snow, tying a record for the date set in 1925.



But not everyone was lamenting the unofficial arrival of winter.



Record-breaking: Huge amounts of snow fell across the North East with more than two feet coming down in Plainfield, Massachusetts

Tractor to the rescue: Workers try to clear falling snow from the field before an NCAA college football game between West Virginia and Rutgers in Piscataway, New Jersey today

Two Vermont ski resorts, Killington and Mount Snow, started the ski season early by opening one trail each over the weekend, thanks to the recent snow and cold. Maine's Sunday River ski resort also opened for the weekend.



Some said the severity of the storm caught them by surprise.



'This is absolutely a lot more snow than I expected to see today. I can't believe it's not even Halloween and it's snowing already,' Carole Shepherd of Washington Township, New Jersey, said after shovelling her driveway.



The storm disrupted travel along the Eastern Seaboard. Philadelphia International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport all had hourslong delays Saturday. Amtrak suspended service between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pa., and commuter trains in Connecticut and New York were delayed or suspended because of downed trees and signal problems.



Residents were urged to avoid travel altogether. Speed limits were reduced on bridges between New Jersey and Pennsylvania. A few roads closed because of accidents and downed trees and power lines, and more were expected, said Sean Brown, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.



The storm came on a busy weekend for many along the Eastern Seaboard, with trick-or-treaters going door-to-door in search of Halloween booty, hunting season opening in some states and a full slate of college and pro football scheduled.



Fans in State College were making the most of what school officials said was the first measurable snowfall for any October home game since records began being kept in 1896.

The crowds were thinner, but 'the die-hards are here,' said T.J. Coursen of Centre Hall, an alumnus.

Winter's here! Residents in Vermont woke up to six inches of snowfall on Friday morning

Standing firm: An Occupy Wall Street supporter braves the elements while maintaining his protest in Zuccotti Park in New York

Parts of New York saw a mix of snow, rain and slush that made for sheer misery at the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York City, where drenched protesters hunkered down in tents and under tarps as the plaza filled with rainwater and melted snow.



Technically, tents are banned in the park, but protesters say authorities have been looking the other way, even despite a crackdown on generators that were keeping them warm.



Nick Lemmin, 25, of Brooklyn, was spending his first night at the encampment. He was one of a handful of protesters still at the park early Sunday.



'I had to come out and support,' he said. 'The underlying importance of this is such that you have to weather the cold.'

Hazardous: Cars drive under and around a fallen tree on Route 303 in Valley Cottage, New York

Hope they packed the de-icer: Cars parked in Manhattan quickly had their windscreens covered in snow

Halloween frost: Workers clear snow from the sidewalks as a decorative display of pumpkins lay coated in snow in New York today

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