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.