A freak snowstorm which stretched from Maryland to Maine left over 3.2m homes and businesses without power, disrupted transport, and killed at least eleven people.
With record breaking snowfall levels, the storm hit communities in western Massachusetts hardest with 68.6cm (27in) in Plainfield, and 66cm in nearby Windsor.
At least six deaths were reported, and states of emergency declared in New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and parts of New York.
Flights were cancelled, roads and railways blocked and more than 800,000 customers were without electricity in Connecticut alone – more than those affected in August by Hurricane Irene.
"It's going to be a more difficult situation than we experienced in Irene," says Connecticut governor Dannel Malloy. "We are expecting extensive and long-term power outages."
According to The National Weather Service the storm "absolutely crushed previous records that in some cases dated back more than 100 years".
This weekend was only the fourth snowy October day in New York's Central Park in 135 years.
Those dead include an 84-year-old man in Pennsylvania who was crushed when a snow-laden tree fell on his home, another in Connecticut from slippery road conditions, and a 20-year-old Massachusetts man electrocuted by downed wires.
Let this not be a portent of the winter to come!
Image Credit: www.ibtimes.com
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