FREEZING TEMPS IN SANDY AREA; SNOW NEXT ALONG WITH NOR EASTER?

Power was restored to lower Manhattan and some other areas overnight and Saturday, but it was still lights out for 2.5 million homes and businesses as temperatures were dipping into the 20s in communities like hard-hit Rockaway and the entire region braced itself for a potential nor'easter next week that could even bring snow.

Overnight lows will be around 28 degrees F in Rockaway, 38 in New York City and 33 on parts of Long Island, NBCNewYork.com reported. Even in areas with temps above 30, 15-20 mph winds will make it feel like it's in the 20s.

Temperatures Sunday and Monday were expected to be even colder before rising again on Tuesday.

Chances for a slow moving nor easter,meanwhile, are "increasing" the national wheather service's prediction center said in a Saturday morning update.

"If the storm tracks close enough to the coast," it added," it appears the airmass may be sufficiently cold for snow to fall, even in the lower elevations."

Expected to be felt in the Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday, the storm would not be anywhere as destructive as Superstorm Sandy, but could cause some new erosion and hinder recovery efforts.

"The general impacts will include another round of brisk winds, rainfall and chilly temperatures for the recovery areas along the coast," weather.com winter weather expert Tom Niziol posted in a Saturday update.

He expected 1-2 inches of rain in coastal areas and 25-30 mph gusts on Wednesday, adding that the forecast could change.

"We do not expect the impacts to 'break anything that is not already broken'," he added. "However the combination of weather impacts will add insult to injury for the recovery process along the East Coast."

FEMA and Red Cross officials said Saturday they were mobilizing even more resources to prepare for the storm.

In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie on Saturday visited crews repairing the berm in Little Ferry, saying a push was being made to seal it up before the new storm. Sandy tore up the berm, causing widespread flooding there.

The U.S. death toll reached 109 on Friday, after Sandy killed 69 people as a hurricane in the Caribbean. It struck the New Jersey coast on Monday as a rare hybrid after the hurricane merged with a powerful storm system in the north Atlantic.

Consolidated Edison, a utility battling what it called the worst natural disaster in its history, restored electricity to New York City neighborhoods such as Wall Street, Chinatown and Greenwich Village in the pre-dawn hours.