Ice storms continue to claim more victims in USA

The ice storms that have been blamed for at least 21 deaths continued to lash much of the United States as crews tried to restore power to hundreds of thousands and slick roads spawned accidents.

Photo: Ice storms continue to claim more victims in USA

Waves of freezing rain, sleet and snow since Friday have caused at least 12 deaths in Oklahoma, six in Missouri, two in Texas and one in New York. Many of the deaths were from traffic accidents.

In Texas, 415 flights were canceled Sunday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Missouri Governor Matt Blunt said about 300,000 households there remained without power on Sunday. About 350 National Guardsmen were going door to door checking on residents in the hardest-hit areas and were helping to clear slick roads of tree limbs and power lines.

"We have what appears to be a three-wave storm," he said on Sunday. "We're in the final wave of it."

Nearly 150,000 customers lacked power in Oklahoma, utilities reported.

The storm system was expected to continue heading northeast, said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Pedigo. While the Ohio region could see rain Monday afternoon, lower Michigan and parts of New England could see more than a foot (30 centimeters) of snow, the AP reports.

In the St. Louis region, about 150,000 people remained without power Sunday afternoon, after a pattern of freezing and thaws.