Washington - Xinhua
About 3 million people are without power on Sunday after the U.S. Northeast was struck by an unusually early snow which began to fall a day before, and at least three people have died of reasons related to the snow. Electricity was out in large areas from Maryland to Maine, according to local authorities. The state of Connecticut was hit hardest, with more than 750,000 homes left without power, said Governor Dannel Malloy at a press briefing on Sunday morning. The number broke a state record set in August, when Hurricane Irene lashed the East Coast. Malloy warned some could see their power out for a week. Things were also bad in other places. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported on Sunday that more than 650, 000 people were without power in the state. The state of New Jersey also saw 271,000 without power. By Sunday morning, three deaths were cited related to the snow: one each in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The victims died from falling trees, traffic accident and downed power line. The rare October snowstorm began to pelt the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states with heavy and wet snow on Saturday, and is expected to stop by Sunday evening.