Nor'easter Slams Into New York and New Jersey, Leaving Thousands Without Power And Stalling Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts

New York and New Jersey residents just can't seem to catch a break after a hellish week following the destruction of Hurricane Sandy. A nor'easter battered the Northeast, blanketing areas in snow and freezing temperatures.

Hundreds of thousands of residents were again left without power while those trying to recover from Sandy braved the cold winds and wet snow. According to CBS News, an addition 200,000 residents from the Jersey shore up to Connecticut were left without power, raising the total number of powerless customer to about 750,000.

New York City, Winchester and Long Island were the worst hit with 55,000 losing power in New York City and Winchester and 125,000 losing power on Long Island. However, CBS News reported that 80,000 outages on Long Island were restored. In New Jersey, 150,000 new outages were reported.

Power company, Consolidated Edison (ConEd) told CBS News that many of the new outages were fixed quickly, leaving only an additional 3,000 without power. ConEd spokesman Alfonso Quiroz said, "I think we're going to be able to power through. Our objective was to get power restored to everyone by the weekend and we're still working with that goal."

The nor'easter not only affected power, but also stalled recovery efforts throughout the region. Brining gusting winds, rain and snow, Wednesday's storm forced government officials to halt construction, issue new evacuations and prepare for the worst.

Reuters reported that officials in New York and New Jersey reinstated evacuations to areas, which had suffered the most during Hurricane Sandy. In New York City, officials distributed space heaters and blankets to residents without heat and opened up shelters for those who needed a warm place to sleep, Reuters reported.

By Thursday, New Jersey and New York City streets were cleared of snow and transportation systems geared up for the morning commute. Residents in hurricane-ravaged areas returned to the streets to resume neighborhood cleanup in hopes to soon return to normalcy.

The storm, which dropped several inches of snow in New Jersey and New York, was headed towards southern New England, CBS News hurricane consultant David Bernard reported. According to Bernard, the nor'easter should move out to sea by Thursday night or Friday morning.

Despite the recent bad weather, residents will be relieved to find out that temperatures are believed to hover between the 50s and 60s by this weekend.