Snowstorm havoc for American East Coast

Connecticut governor Dannel P Malloy said 750,000 customers in his state had no power, 650,000 were without it in Massachusetts, 617,000 in New Jersey and 200,000 in New York.

The storm dumped more than 2ft of snow in some places, and officials warned it could be days before many see their electricity supplies restored.

The combination of heavy, wet snow, leaf-laden trees and gusting winds brought down many power lines. At least three deaths were blamed on the weather, and states of emergency were declared in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York.

The storm worsened as it moved north, and communities in western Massachusetts were among the hardest hit. Snowfall totals topped 27in in Plainfield, and nearby Windsor had 26in by early yesterday.

Along the coast and in such cities as Boston, relatively warm water temperatures helped keep snowfall totals much lower. Washington received a trace of snow, equalling the earliest on record.

But New York City’s Central Park set a record for both the date and the month of October with 1.3in. Some inland towns got more than a foot of snow.

New Jersey’s largest electric and gas utility, PSE&G, advised power might not be fully restored until Wednesday.

Residents were urged to avoid travel by air. Two New York City airports, Newark Liberty and Kennedy, had hours-long delays, as did Philadelphia’s airport.

Amtrak suspended passenger train service between Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and commuter trains in Connecticut and New York were delayed or suspended.

In south-eastern Pennsylvania, an 84-year-old man was killed when a snow-laden tree fell on his home and a 20-year-old man in Springfield, Massachusetts, was electrocuted by a downed powerline.