Thousands of homes and businesses had no electricity Sunday from Maryland into New England as a storm system blasted the region with wind gusting to more than 50 mph (80 kph), reported The Associated Press. Gusts as high as 70 mph (113 kph) were possible Sunday at higher elevations of New York state, the National Weather Service said. Search parties in New Hampshire were hampered by the wind and rough water as they looked for a man who fell off a cruise ship on Lake Winnipesaukee during the storm late Saturday. One man drowned in New Hampshire when his kayak overturned on a river that was running fast because of the storm's heavy rainfall, state officials said. Some 4,700 customers were blacked out Sunday morning on New York's Long Island, east of New York City, said Bert Cunningham, a spokesman for the Long Island Power Authority. That was down from nearly 79,000 homes and businesses late Saturday. Fewer than 200 customers were still affected Sunday in New York City and suburban Westchester County, Consolidated Edison reported. New York City's Central Park measured 2.54 inches (6.45 centimeters) of rain from the storm Saturday. Power was still out Sunday morning in more than two dozen communities across New Hampshire, said the state's largest utility, Public Service Company of New Hampshire. The weather observatory atop New Hampshire's Mount Washington, known for its extremely high wind, reported sustained wind of 100 mph (160 kph) and a gust to 114 mph (183.4 kph). The peak also got 11 inches (28 centimeters) of snow during the night for an October total of 39 inches (996 centimeters). To the south in Maryland, about 2,900 Baltimore Gas & Electric customers had no power on Sunday, said utility spokesman Rob Gould. «We're seeing trees coming down, not just branches but whole trees coming down on the wires,» Gould said. The storm also produced heavy «lake effect» snowfall in parts of New York state downwind from Lake Ontario, including 9 inches (23 centimeters) at Old Forge, the weather service said. A winter storm warning was in effect for the area Sunday with as much as 18 inches (46 centimeters) of snow possible at higher elevations. The high wind and heavy rain and snow were produced by a stronger-than-normal low pressure system that passed through Pennsylvania and New York on its way to southeastern Canada, the weather service said.
