Nearly 580,000 lose power during East Coast snow

[October 31, 2011]  PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The unusually early snowstorm bringing heavy, wet snow to the East Coast has knocked out power to nearly 580,000 customers.

Most are in Pennsylvania. Utilities there say 428,000 customers have lost power. PPL spokeswoman Lissette Santana says 200 crews were working to restore it and would be joined by 30 more crews from Kentucky and standby contractors if needed. The utility serves customers in northeast and central Pennsylvania.

More than 160,000 customers in lost power in Philadelphia and its suburbs Saturday afternoon.

In Connecticut, utilities reported more than 125,000 without service.

In New York, sporadic power outages are centered near Poughkeepsie and Newburgh. Scattered outages have been reported in New Jersey.

And spokesman Todd Meyers says Potomac Edison, the dominant utility in western Maryland, had more than 26,000 outages.

[Associated Press]

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