Storm Kills 19, Cuts Power to 600K in South, Midwest

A storm sweeping from the middle of the country into the Northeast today has left at least 19 dead and cut power to 600,000 people, the AP reports. In hard-hit states like Arkansas, where power companies warned service might not return for days, 3 inches of ice weighed down tree limbs and made driving treacherous.

Most of the deaths were caused by traffic accidents in the central and southern US. Oklahoma declared a statewide emergency Monday, and Kentucky followed suit yesterday. That state has seen ice as thick as 1½ inches, causing branches to fall onto roads. Schools and government offices across the region have been closed, and ice storm warnings are still in effect in parts of the South. (More ice storm stories.)