It may still be October, with the World Series in full swing, but some parts of the East Coast could be in for an unexpected wintry blast of up to 6 inches of snow this weekend.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia from Friday night through Saturday afternoon as a storm blows through the region. Even more snow was expected to fall in higher elevations, including the Laurel Highlands and the Pocono Mountains, forecasters said.
© Vyto Starinskas/APRutland, Vt., residents woke up to this view to the east on Friday, as a storm left a cover of snow, in Killington, Vt. There were up to six inches of snow atop Killington.
Forecasters warned that the early snow could bring down tree limbs - something that Colorado got a dose of this week.
About 12,000 homes and businesses along Colorado's Front Range were still without power Friday morning following a fall snowstorm that downed trees and power lines. Outages were in metro Denver and Boulder and in Greeley, Fort Collins and Loveland to the north. The storm Tuesday and Wednesday brought about six inches of snow to Denver and about a foot to Greeley.
Look ahead
High pressure from Canada will continue to build over the area throughout Friday, before moving to New England in the evening.
Low pressure will develop off the Carolina coast and then track northeast, bringing more unsettled weather into Saturday afternoon and evening.
High pressure will then build over the area Sunday and Monday.
Also, a coastal flood advisory was in effect until late afternoon Friday for portions of Burlington County, N.J.
Residents of the Washington, D.C., area can expect rain and snow to begin late Friday night and carrying in to Saturday, News4 meteorologist Tom Kierein reported.
It will be colder and windy, with the first freeze of the season likely Saturday and highs that day possibly not getting above the low 40s.
Accumulation of snow was predicted west of D.C. on Saturday - especially in areas with elevations above 1,500 feet - but any snow likely will melt on roadways at lower elevations.
The D.C. area has not had any October snow since 1979, according to News4.
Protesters get winter ready
Even Occupy Wall Street activists - from New York to Colorado - have been preparing for a tough season of snow, sleet and cold.
"Everyone's been calling it our Valley Forge moment," said Michael McCarthy, a former Navy medic in Providence. "Everybody thought that George Washington couldn't possibly survive in the Northeast."
With the temperature dropping, they were stockpiling donated coats, blankets and scarves, trying to secure cots and military-grade tents, and getting survival tips from the homeless people who have joined their encampments.
In some cities, activists were scouting locations indoors, including vacant buildings or other unused properties, possibly even foreclosed homes, though some question the wisdom of holding a protest outside the public eye.
Lighting campfires was probably out of the question in most places because of safety regulations.
Boston's Occupy movement, which has roughly 300 overnight participants and could face some of the most brutal weather of any city with a major encampment, has set up a winterization committee that will try to obtain super-insulated sleeping bags and other winter survival gear.
Activists from the movement's flagship encampment, consisting of hundreds of people in New York City's Zuccotti Park, are sorting through packages arriving daily that include coats and jackets.
"I welcome the challenge of this cold weather," said Dwayne Hudson, a landscaper who has been living at the Occupy Denver site for nearly two weeks. "This is like war. You know, soldiers do it when they occupy a place. I'm sure the mountains of Afghanistan get pretty cold."
But after the first snowfall, he admitted: "It's getting tough."
NBC Washington and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
i just saw a flake when i went outside