Man drowns, dies after falling in swimming pool while shoveling snow during blizzard in New York

CUTCHOGUE, N.Y. -- An elderly man who drowned after falling into a swimming pool was one of three people who died while shoveling snow on Long Island, New York, during Saturday's powerful blizzard.

Officials said police pulled the unconscious man out of a pool in Cutchogue around 8:30 a.m. and began CPR. He was taken to a local hospital and later pronounced dead.

Additionally, two men, ages 75 and 53, died while shoveling snow in Syosset in separate incidents. Officials said the 75-year-old had collapsed, and the 53-year-old was found was unresponsive lying on his back with a shovel beside to him.

A nor'easter with hurricane-force wind gusts battered much of the East Coast on Saturday, flinging heavy snow that made travel treacherous or impossible, flooding coastlines, and threatening to leave bitter cold in its wake.

The storm thrashed parts of 10 states, with blizzard warnings that stretched from Virginia to Maine. Philadelphia and New York saw plenty of wind and snow, but Boston was in the crosshairs. The city tied its record for biggest single-day snowfall, with 23.6 inches, the National Weather Service said.

The National Weather Service considers a storm a blizzard if it has snowfall or blowing snow, as well as winds of at least 35 mph (56 kph) that reduce visibility to a quarter-mile or less for at least three hours. In many areas, Saturday's storm met those criteria.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul advised people to stay home and warned of below-zero windchills after the storm passes. The state had declared a state of emergency Friday evening.

"This is a very serious storm, very serious. We've been preparing for this. This could be life-threatening," Hochul said. "It's high winds, heavy snow, blizzard conditions - all the elements of a classic nor'easter."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.