[UPDATED 5pm] A Snowtober Halloween in East Haven

Updated at 5 p.m.

Dusk has begun to set in and the ghouls and ghosts and goblins will soon be walking the streets of East Haven — buckets and bags in hand, looking for some trick or treats and sweet things to eat!

Unlike other towns north and west of the shoreline who have had to postpone their local celebrations due to massive power outages and unsafe traveling conditions left in the wake of Saturday's Nor'easter, East Haven's trick or treating will go forward tonight as normal.

East Haven Mayor April Capone told Patch this afternoon that the town's Department of Public Service has been working nonstop since Saturday to clean up the fallen trees and limbs, as well as other storm-related debris, that littered the town's streets following this weekend's historic storm.

Capone said the public works' crew came in very early this morning to make sure the team had enough to time to remove branches, boughs and limbs that had been collected along the side of local roads as part of the clean up.

"And that was the focus today: to get everything cleaned up in time for tonight," she said.

The mayor added that East Haven — unlike some other municipalities — only has one public service crew. And that crew, she said, has performed admirably before, during and after Saturday's storm.

"They have been exceptional," Capone said, adding that the department learned a lot during Tropical Storm Irene's clean up effort.

And the team was able to put that knowledge to use over the last 48 hours, she said.

"They were exceptional then, and now they are even betterm," Capone said.

Even with most of that debris now cleared away, Capone said parents and children should still use caution when walking local streets during tonight's trick or treating — just the same as they would any other Halloween night.

"If a street isn't well lit or dark, don't go down it," the mayor reminded residents. "Whether it's after a storm or not, you should always use precaution."

And some streets may be darker than ususal.

United Illuminating is reporting that 138 custumers are still without power in East Haven. And one of those customers is Mayork Capone.

"Our power's been out for about 24 hours or so now," Capone told Patch.

But, she said, UI has stated that electricity should be returned to the New Haven-based utility company's service area later tonight.

Updated at 11:30 a.m. Monday

East Haven and other shoreline communities devestated by Tropical Storm Irene exhaled a collective sigh of relief Sunday morning when it became clear the area was spared the massive amounts of snowfall, downed trees and wires — and — the rest of the state is now dealing with following Saturday's Nor'easter.

Currently, United Illuminating is reporting 240 customers are without power in East Haven. The town's highest number of reported outages came late Saturday night when just over 800 homes were in the dark following the storm.

UI officials have reported that they expect to have all power restored to their service area, including East Haven, by the end of the day today.

For those still without power, here is good . And, with the winter season just around the corner, it is also a good article to have on hand in case of future outages.

Updated at 1 p.m. Sunday

The overwhelming number of power outages throughout the state are not only historic for an October storm, it has now passed the previous all-time record holder of that dubious honor: Tropical Storm Irene.

The October Nor'easter, which is now being referred to as "Snowtober," has — as of 1 p.m. this afternoon — left more than 805,000 Connecticut Light & Power customers without power, and more than 16,000 powerless in United Illuminating's service area.

This is than have ever been recorded. And CL&P officials are saying it could be a week in some towns before the lights come back on.

UI is reporting that East Haven still has 699 homes without power in town. And the New Haven-based utility company says it expects to have its entire service grid back up and online by the end of the day tomorrow.

In the meantime, locally, the is offering for those currently without power. In fact, the company's entire chain of club's throughout Connecticut have opened their doors for those who just need a hot shower.

You can call the East Haven Planet Fitness at 203) 469-7763. Or find other area locations online at www.PlanetFitness.com.

Updated at 11:45 a.m.

The phones are ringing this morning at .

A dispatcher with the department just told Patch that the work to remove fallen trees, limbs and branches — as well as other storm debris — from town roadways, land and power lines is ongoing.

And will likely continue well into next week before it is done.

With the priorty on public safety, the department has been focused on removing trees and branches leaning against or hanging on power lines, as well as debris that is blocking any main roadways in town.

East Haven Patch reader reported that a fallen tree had been blocking Sylvan Hills Road as of earlier this morning. But public service reported that that has now been removed.

And so, while progress is being made, the extent of the debris left by this storm along the shoreline — while not anywhere near the devestation of Tropical Storm Irene — is considerable.

And public service is expecting the clean up to take the department a few more days before it is completed.

Updated at 11 a.m. Sunday

With the storm now over, the focus for East Haven and other Connecticut towns will be clean up and recovering after this historic late October Nor'Easter.

Most importantly, restoring power to the hundreds of thousdands throughout the state that are now without electricity.

In East Haven, as of 11 a.m., United Illuminating is reporting that 580 customers are without power, which is just over 4 percent of the town. That number is down from late last night when some 800 homes were in the dark.

United Illuminating Chief Executive Officer Jim Torgerson reported via the utility company's Twitter account that they expect to have all of their custumers back online within the next 24 hours.

"Giving the current conditions, UI expects to have virtually all customers restored by Monday night - Oct. 31st," he stated.

UI serves 319,124 customers in Connecticut. Currently, 19,002 are powerless, which is almost 6 percent of its total service area.

By contrast, Connecticut Light & Power is reporting that more than 780,000 customers are without power. And CL&P officials, along with Gov. Dannel Malloy, are warning residents their power might not be restored for another week.

Although East Haven was spared the heavy snow accumulations and expansive power outages, there still are areas in town that have downed limbs.

East Haven Patch reader reported this morning that a fallen tree continues to block Sylvan Hills Road, which is a cul de sac, making it difficult for residents to get in or out of the area.

officials told Patch last night that they responded to several calls regarding fallen limbs and power lines Saturday — particularly in the northern section of town.

And so it appears clean up efforts will continue throughout the day today in East Haven and throughout the rest of the state.

Do you have any snow photos from this historic storm? Share them and add them to this article. We'd love to see your shots!

Updated at 10:15 p.m.

Battalion Chief Andrew Carlson told Patch tonight that it has been a busy day for firefighters.

The department has, so far, responded to 20 individual calls over the last few hours, the majority of which occured between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m

Most of the calls were reports of fallen tree limbs and/or downed electrical wires in the north side of town, he said.

Carlson added that although the volume of calls throughout the day has been an higher than normal total, it is not as severe as other areas of the state have been experiencing today.

And, the battalion chief said, it is nothing close to the number of incidents the department responded to during Tropical Storm Irene.

"It's not crazy — yet," Carlson said.

Although it has been quiet for the most part for the last couple of hours, Carlson said he is concerned that there could be another uptick in power outages and calls overnight due to the strengthening high winds expected to move into the area tonight.

"I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see," he said.

Updated at 7:05 p.m.

Gov. Dannel Malloy has declared a state of emergency in Connecticut due to the storm, which has caused massive power outages throughout the state and extremely hazardous travel conditions.

Updated at 6:45 p.m.

Although, most of East Haven still has power — only 210 customers (or less than 1 percent) are without electricity as of 6:45 p.m. — towns to the north and west, however, are not fairing so well.

Gov. Malloy is reporting that more than 419,000 of Connecticut Light & Power's Connecticut customers are without power, and United Illuminating some 17,000.

Updated at 5:25 p.m.

The National Weather service has issued a coastal flood advisory for East Haven for later tonight and into tomorrow morning.The advisory will be in effect from 10 p.m. this evening to 2 a.m. tomorrow morning.

The weather service meterologists report that tidal departures are expected to be 2 to 3 feet, with "high surf for Atlantic beaches tonight."

Also, a high wind advisory continues to remain in effect for the area. Winds are expected to increase tonight, with gusts upwards of 65 miles per hour throughout the night.

"Winds will increase this evening and remain strong through the overnight hours," the meterologists reported. "The winds will begin to diminish realy Sunday morning."

The high winds are expected to lead to widespread downed trees and power outages. especially in areas where snowfall accumulates."

As of 5:25 p.m., United Illuminating is reporting 76 custumers in East Haven are without power. That is up two from about an hour ago.

Updated at 4:35 p.m.

With many interior towns already experiencing several inches of snow, downed limbs and significant power outages, Gov. Dannel Malloy has banned all non-emergency vehicles from the Merritt/Wilbur Cross Parkways until further notice.

Malloy also urged all the state's residents to stay off of the roads until the storm has passed.

"I am urging residents to stay off the roads and let DOT crews get out there and get the streets clear," Malloy stated.

As of 4:35 p.m., United Illuminating is reporting 74 East Haven customers are without power, that's four more than an hour ago.

Company officials also stated via Twitter that "the entire UI line crew have been called in work the storm." 

Updated at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday

Well, it looks like East Haven won't be escaping a significant snowfall event today after all.

The National Weather Service has now upgrated its winter weather advisory for East Haven, as well as much of the shoreline, to a full blown winter storm warning.

The weather service reports the heavy, wet snow the area is now experiencing is expected to continue through to about midnight tonight with total accumulations between 8 to 12 inches.

Previously, the forecast had only called for upwards of 2 to 4 inches of snow in East haven today, with most of the precipitation remaining as rain along much of the Connecticut coastline.

But temperatures in town are now expected to hover at about 34 degrees over the next few hours allowing the snowfall to continue.

The meterologists are also warning residents that driving conditions are expected to deteriorate quickly this afternoon, with travel expected to become "exremely hazardous" tonight due to the heavy snow, wind, as well as downed trees and power lines.

As of 3:45 p.m., United Illuminating reports that 70 customers in East Haven are without power.

East Haven Patch will continue to provide updates on weather conditions and power outages as it becomes available.

Original Story (Saturday 5:45 a.m.)

There is little doubt that some pretty nasty weather is headed East Haven's way today.

Although the area is not expected to experience the same snowfall totals as towns north and west of the shoreline, high winds and a wintry mix of rain, sleet and wet snow associated with the approaching Nor'easter could lead to power outages and dangerous driving conditions.

In advance of the storm, the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for East Haven, which will remain in effect from 8 a.m. today until 4 a.m. tomorrow morning.

The weather service meterologists report that they are expecting rain throughout most of the early part of the day today, and then upwards of 2 to 4 inches of snow later tonight.

In addition, the weather service has also issued a high wind watch for the New Haven County coastline, which will be in effect from this evening until late tonight.

Sustained winds of 20 to 35 miles per hour are expected, with gusts upwards of 60 mph.

"Winds will begin to increase during the day on Saturday," the meterologists reported. "Then increase rapidly Saturday afternoon."

They added that the strongest winds are expected this evening, with the possibility of "downed trees and power lines."

"The threat for this will be enhanced in areas of snow accumulating on trees with leaves," the meterologists stated in their report.

If the storm does materializes the first major snow event comes a bit early for Connecticut. The weather service said it’s rare for a storm like this in October.

The , however, is ready. Department officals told Patch late Friday afternoon that they were already mobilizing vehicles and resources in advance of the storm.

And Deputy Chief John Mannion said the department is ready to respond to any weather related events this weekend.

"We're on standby,"he said.

Gov. Dannel Malloy said the will be activated at 2 p.m. this afternoon, in anticipation of the storm.

He also warned residents to be prepared for due to the wet snow and high winds.

And the Connecticut Red Cross also passed along