Winter storm hammers U.S. northeast

An unseasonable October storm dumped heavy, wet snow across the eastern United States on Saturday, knocking down trees and power lines and cutting electricity to more than three million homes and businesses.

The storm was also linked to at least three deaths, including an 84-year-old man in Pennsylvania who was killed when a snow-covered tree fell on his home. 

In Massachusetts, authorities say a man, 20, died in Springfield after being electrocuted by a power line downed by high winds and wet, heavy snow.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said one person died in a traffic accident in the state that he blamed on slippery conditions.

Areas in northern New Jersey received nearly 40 centimetres of snow and a state of emergency was declared. Connecticut and Massachusetts also declared states of emergencies.

The storm disrupted air travel along the Eastern Seaboard, and lengthy delays were reported at airports in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

More than three million customers in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New York were without power Saturday night. Utilities in other states were sending crews to help restore electricity.

By late Saturday, the storm had largely moved out of Pennsylvania and was tracking northeast.