An unseasonable snowstorm threatens to bring up to 10in (25cm) of early snowfall to the US East Coast.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a winter storm warning from Saturday into Sunday and says travel conditions may be hazardous.

Heavy snow has begun falling across parts of Pennsylvania. About 10,000 people there, as well as in Maryland and West Virginia, are without power.

In 1979, southern New England received a record 7.5in of snow in October.

A region of low pressure brewing off the mid-Atlantic coast is expected to produce heavy, wet snow as it moves north-east, the NWS said.

The Massachusetts Berkshires, north-western Connecticut and southern New Hampshire could see the most snow.

Big coastal cities are set to be hit, forecasters say, with New York expecting 4in (10cm) on Saturday, and Boston 3in.

Winds along the coast could reach 45mph (72km/h), further damaging power lines, the NWS said.

Dangerous

Flights have been delayed at Newark airport in New Jersey, which was being lashed by heavy rains and winds, with northern communities expecting 5-10in of snow.

Burst of snow and rain hit New York City. Flights for New York's Kennedy and LaGuardia airports and Philadelphia's airport were not allowed to depart until early afternoon, the Associated Press news agency reported.

In eastern Pennsylvania, snow has been falling in Allentown and Reading.

"This is very, very unusual. It has all the look and feel of a classic mid-winter nor'easter. It's going to be very dangerous," John LaCorte, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Pennsylvania told the Associated Press.

He added that the last time Pennsylvania saw a major storm so early was in 1972.

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has warned some residents could lose power, while NWS meteorologist Bill Simpson said the snowfall could break records.

In New England it is usual for measurable snow to fall in early December.

But Mr Simpson said temperatures could return to normal by the middle of next week.

"This doesn't mean our winter is going to be terrible. You can't get any correlation from a two-day event," he said.

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