Updated: Snowstorm Slams South Orange; Library to Open Early

10:45 Update:  South Orange officials announced that the South Orange Public Library will be opening today from 12-5.  The library, which usually opens at 2 p.m. on Sundays, will be available for residents who need to charge cell phones, tablets, laptops and other devices.

10:30 Update:  Alex Torpey updated his statement.  "There are still trees down on power lines, and all residents are advised to be extremely cautious and stay away from downed power lines, and contact the Police Department and PSEG immediately," wrote Torpey. "Our crews are looking to get all roads open and passable right away before any general cleanup takes place."

Mother Nature was disguised as winter this Halloween weekend as a rare October snowstorm pummeled northern New Jersey, including South Orange.

Heavy snow fell Saturday for nearly 10 hours, wreaking havoc with traffic, downing trees, causing mass power outages and forced Gov. Chris Christie to .

Alan Reppert, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.com, said the storm dumped at least 4 inches on Essex County.

He had snow accumulations late Saturday night for some of the county's hardest-hit towns — 7 inches in Verona, 5.3 inches in Cedar Grove, 5.2 inches in West Orange and 4.6 inches in Newark.

As of 10 p.m. Saturday, utility companies Jersey Central Power & Light and PSE&G reported at least 600,000 people total without power statewide — more than 10,000 in Essex County cities and townships, including the Caldwells, Cedar Grove, Irvington, Maplewood, Millburn, Montclair, Newark, Orange, South Orange, Verona and West Orange.

Residents reported that when they tried calling PSE&G's emergency call line yesterday, it was busy for several hours. 

Paul Walker, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.com, said accrued snow on tree leaves and limbs, combined with high winds, likely resulted in downed power lines, causing the outages.

It's unclear when power will be restored, but PSE&G, which manages a majority of Essex County's power, released a statement urging customers to be “prepared for potentially lengthy outages."

In South Orange, the village mobilized its emergency crews and snow removal teams Saturday night to clear fallen trees and wires that littered slushy streets.

South Orange Village President Alex Torpey, who coordinated with emergency crews while at and the , urged residents to stay off the roads.

“There have been many reports of trees down and power lines down,” Torpey posted in a statement on the village’s website.  “Many streets in the area are closed and we advise residents to stay off the roads, both for their own safety and to allow emergency vehicles to traverse the roads. The SOPD, SOFD, DPW and PSEG are all out moving as fast as possible to clear roads, remove downed power lines, restore electricity and ensure our safety.”

Torpey told Patch that there were potentially more trees downed yesterday than on .

Some public transportation in the county came to a halt around 2 p.m. Saturday.

Wire problems and downed trees on tracks forced NJTransit to suspend its train services for the Gladstone, Montclair and Morris & Essex lines, according to Courtney Carroll, a spokeswoman for NJTransit. The agency's website says the suspensions will continue Sunday.

NJTransit's Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast rail lines, as well as buses in northern New Jersey, were subject to at least 30-minute delays, according to the site.

Some flights at Newark Liberty International Airport also experienced delays and were cancelled.

Officials say that the has responded to 125-140 calls since the storm began.  Multiple injuries have been reported, including a head injury by a fallen branch.

Kristina Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.com, did not have historical data for Essex County snow accumulations in October, but said Saturday's storm broke Newark's previous record of 0.3 inches for that month in 1952.

She said most of the snow likely will melt in time for Halloween on Monday since high temperatures in the 40s are expected Sunday.

"Most should be gone when everyone's out trick-or-treating," she said.

Residents are advised to report all downed trees to the South Orange Police Department at (973) 763-3000. If there are downed wires involved, make sure to mention that to the Police Department, stay clear of the area (assume all downed wires are live) and notify PSEG here or call 1-800-436-7734.  If there is an emergency present, do not hesitate to call 9-1-1.