Posted Monday, October 31, 2011 --- 7:00 a.m.

SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. (AP) -- Drivers are facing a tough commute across parts of the Northeast that were smacked by a surprisingly strong October snowstorm and plunged into darkness.

Trees and downed power lines still littered roads and rail lines in the region early Monday. New Jersey Transit was letting passengers transfer freely among train and bus lines because several miles of track were still disrupted.

Hundreds of schools closed throughout the region, and Halloween trick-or-treating was to be curtailed in many communities because of downed power lines.

The storm dropped anywhere from a trace to 30 inches of wet, heavy snow from Maryland to Maine. More than 3 million people lacked electricity at one point as trees toppled under the weight and brought down power lines.

That number was down to about 2.1 million by early Monday. Service isn't expected to be restored in many spots until Wednesday.

Copyright 2011. The Associated Press.