Buffalo Area Reels from Snow, Power Outages

More than 200,000 people lost power overnight as a lake-effect snowstorm dropped more than 21 inches of snow on Buffalo, N.Y. Never before has so much snow hit the city this early in the year.

The previous record for this date is seven inches. Some residents were woken up by the cracking of trees overnight, as the branches broke under the weight of the snow. And people were kept up by the rolling thunder.

Across western New York, the major lake-effect storm dumped 18 to 24 inches of snow.

A low of 37 degrees is predicted for the region tonight, causing a run on hotels with electricity — almost all are now entirely booked.

Mid-October is also harvest time in the area, where pumpkins, blueberries, and grape vineyards usually thrive. But the cold is not the main concern for the crops, say farmers: It's the abundance of water.