Weather Woes

The Northeast's first winter storm mucked up the World Series and a presidential campaign stop with a messy brew of snow, rain, wind and temperatures cold enough to frost the pumpkins in time for Halloween.

The wet snow fell on trees still covered in fall leaves, and its weight, combined with gusty winds, sent limbs crashing down on power lines.

In upstate New York, more than 40,000 customers were without power Wednesday, most of them in the Mohawk Valley, Adirondacks and the Catskills, according to statements by utilities National Grid and New York State Electric & Gas. Utility crews worked to restore power as more snow fell.

In New Jersey, crews were working to restore power to more than 41,000 customers, mainly in the northern part of the state.

Jersey Central Power and Light said most of its outages are in Morris, Warren, Hunterdon and Sussex counties. Service could be restored by Wednesday afternoon, the utility said.

The National Weather Service reported snowfall totals up to 13 inches in northern New York, to as much as 15 inches along the northwestern edge of the Catskill Mountains.

Accumulations from the unusual wintry weather include about 14 inches at New Jersey's High Point State Park and about a foot in Lebanon Township, the weather service said.

In Pennsylvania, parts of the Pocono Mountains were under a foot of snow.

More windblown snow swept through northern Vermont Wednesday as the storm worked its way through the northern part of the state.

The weather service posted a winter storm warning for heavy snow in Orleans and eastern Franklin counties through Wednesday night, with 3 to 9 inches accumulation.

The northern central and eastern parts of the state also are expected to see more snow Wednesday.

In northern West Virginia, students in Tucker County got Wednesday off after the mountainous region received 6 inches of snow that created icy conditions. Two years ago, the county received 6 inches of snow on Oct. 24.

The seasonally early blast doesn't necessarily mean a nasty winter.

The federal Climate Prediction Center calls for above-average temperatures in most areas from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians and normal temperatures elsewhere. In the Northeast and Midwest, the center predicts typical winter precipitation; the South can expect a drier-than-usual winter.

Still, winter arrived early, blowing in Monday evening. In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, U.S. 441 was shut down Tuesday between Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Cherokee, N.C., because of snow and ice.

In the Northeast, winds of 25 mph and gusts up to 40 mph toppled trees; 33,000 customers in northeast Pennsylvania and 11,000 in New York's Hudson Valley lost power. Schools closed or opened late in Pennsylvania and New York and many events, — such as the Jack O' Lantern Jubilee in Newburgh, N.Y. — were canceled.

Heavy rain that left slippery leaves on train tracks slowed commuter trains, creating delays in Connecticut.

Whiteout conditions temporarily closed Interstate 84 near Port Jervis, N.Y. In northeast Pennsylvania, a truck wreck shut 7 miles of Interstate 80.

"We're salting the roads and we haven't even gone trick-or-treating yet," said Joe Orlando, spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

The storm was caused by a large dip in the jet stream that sent cold air down the Eastern Seaboard to central Florida. Forecaster John Desjardins of The Weather Channel said freezing temperatures could set record lows for October as far south as Fort Myers.

There was even 1 to 3 inches of snow in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Measurable October snow fell in New Brunswick in central New Jersey for the fifth time since record keeping started in 1894. "This is unusual," said David Robinson, state climatologist.

Rain put off the World Series in Philadelphia until Wednesday. Monday's game between the Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays was a tie when umpires called it. Rain forced GOP presidential nominee John McCain to scrub a rally in Quakertown, Pa.

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;" Luk 21:25