Foot of snow blankets Great Smoky region in early wintry blast By Tim Ghianni Sat Nov 1, 2014 4:05pm EDT (Reuters) - Halloween night and the morning after proved to be a snowy shocker for travelers driving through the Smoky Mountains region of Tennessee and North Carolina as about more than a foot of snow hit the region in a rare autumn blizzard. The heavy snow closed a stretch of Interstate 40 crossing the Great Smoky Mountains from Tennessee to North Carolina for several hours on Saturday, according to officials, and contributed to at least one multiple-vehicle accident. "We don't see snow on Halloween very often," said Sam Roberts, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Morristown, Tennessee, office, which covers the eastern part of the state. Roberts said the largest snowfall reported so far was on Mount LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, where 16 inches of snow fell. On Saturday, snow was observed as far south and east as Columbia, South Carolina, according to the Weather Channel website. It was the earliest sighting of snow in the city on record and came less than three days after four straight days in the mid-upper 80s, it said. Interstate 40 is expected to be cleared by Saturday afternoon, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Secondary roads through the Smokies also were closed because of the weather. "Our power has been out since 6:40 this morning," said Jane Hawk, a supervisor at Downtown Hartford Citgo, a truck stop along Interstate 40 in Tennessee, just west of the North Carolina state line. She said there were 12 or 14 inches of heavy snow on the ground, causing power lines to snap. Even without power, the center was staying open so travelers could use the restrooms or buy snacks. "We're doing cash-only, since the registers aren't working," Hawk said. The National Weather Service said the eastern third of the United States would experience well below-average temperatures this weekend behind a strong cold front. Gusty winds and precipitation are expected in the eastern third of the country, the NWS said on its website, and heavy snow could hit northern New England through Sunday. Reporting By Frank McGurty; Editing by Steve Orlofsky