Halloween Blizzard Hits Northeast: Big Pics

Oct. 30, 2011 --Freezing conditions hit the U.S. East Coast on Sunday after a rare October snowstorm and icy rain reportedly killed at least three people, sparked long airport delays and caused massive power outages.

The "historic early season" snowstorm wrought havoc on air, rail and road traffic from Washington to Boston, with the National Weather Service warning that travel at night would be "extremely hazardous."

One person died in Connecticut in a traffic accident caused by icy road conditions, local media reported.

Above, a couple walked through the storm's early flurries in New York City. Below, a plow removed snow from Beaver Stadium football field before the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Illinois Fighting Illini in State College, Penn.

In Massachusetts, a fallen power line electrocuted a man, and a tree that fell under the weight of snow killed a person in Pennsylvania, the reports said.

A total of two million people were without power in a storm zone stretching from the Mid-Atlantic to New England, MSNBC reported.

THE DISCOVERNATOR: Amazing Facts Served Up Hot

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared a state of emergency across his state "because of the severe weather conditions," he said on Twitter.

Nearly 500,000 customers were without power in New Jersey alone, he said, urging residents to "stay safe and off the roads."

In Manhattan, where the storm marked the first October snow in decades, forecasters said up to 10 inches fell.

The unseasonably cold and wet weather did not dampen the spirits of anti-Wall Street protesters camped out in New York and Washington.

"Snow, what snow? I've got a country to worry about," read a sign held by a woman at New York's Zuccotti Park -- the nerve center of the Occupy Wall Street movement, seen below.

"We're cold, we're wet -- cancel the debt!" chanted a few dozen protesters marching in downtown Washington.

At the White House, President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle did not let the weather ruin their annual Halloween trick-or-treating event. They handed out candy, cookies and dried fruit to area children wrapped in wet coats.

"Let's give out some candy," Obama said. "I know it's cold. ... It's not ideal out here."

- AFP contributed to this report. Images: Getty, Corbis