UPDATE: Sandy's death toll climbs - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

NEW YORK (AP) -- It could be days before people in much of the Northeast can see their lives start to return to normal, in the aftermath of a storm that has left at least 38 people dead.

More than 8.2 million people across the East are without power. New York City was especially hard hit, its subways shut down and much of Manhattan left without power.

And it's not over yet. The storm that resulted when Hurricane Sandy merged with two other storm systems has been moving westward today across Pennsylvania with winds of 45 miles an hour. It's expected to make a turn into New York State tonight.

Although it is getting weaker as it goes, forecasters still expect it to bring heavy rain and flooding.

In one measure of the storm's size and power, waves on southern Lake Michigan have risen above 20 feet, tying a record. High winds spinning off the edges of the storm clobbered the Cleveland area early today, uprooting trees and cutting power to hundreds of thousands.

Sandy brought blizzard conditions to West Virginia and neighboring states, with more than 2 feet of snow expected in some places.