Huge Eastern storm darkens homes, disrupts travel

An unceasing winter storm unleashed multiple dangers across the Northeast on Friday, blasting the coast with hurricane-force winds, causing flooding and power outages and flight cancelations.

In New York City, 17 inches (43 centimeters) of snow had fallen before dawn and more was expected. A man was killed by a falling snow-laden tree branch in Central Park, one of at least three deaths being blamed on the storm.

Airports around the region were dealing with heavy cancellations and telling passengers to check with airlines before trying to get to airports.

The real threat was expected to be the strong wind that could create blizzard conditions. The highest wind reported was 91 mph (146 kph) in Portsmouth, New Hampshire _ well above hurricane force of 74 mph (119 kph). Gusts hit 60 mph (100 kph) or more from New York's Long Island to Massachusetts.

Hundreds of thousands of people were without power in areas of the northeastern U.S.

New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who had said Thursday that the largest U.S. public school district would stay open, changed his mind. Friday was the second snow day of the month there, but only the fourth in six years.

In Hampton, New Hampshire, winds helped spread a fire that started in an unoccupied oceanfront hotel, damaging another six to eight businesses, including a restaurant and a games arcade, fire Capt. David Lang said. No injuries were reported, and no cause had been identified.

The storm was packing wet, heavy snow that could dump a foot or more in some areas and powerful, damaging winds could complicate any cleanup.

Much of the region, particularly Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, only recently finished cleaning up from a pair of storms a few weeks ago.

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Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack in Hampton, New Hampshire; Geoff Mulvihill and Randy Pennell in Philadelphia; Kiley Armstrong and Ula Ilnytzky in New York City; Chris Carola in Albany, New York; Shawn Marsh in Trenton, New Jersey; Samantha Henry in Newark, New Jersey; Wilson Ring in Montpellier, Vermont, Michael Rubinkam in Allentown, Pennsylvania.