The Latest: 11,000 without power in Oklahoma after ice storm
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on ice storms in the central U.S. (all times local):
2:50 p.m.
A winter storm that brought sleet and freezing rain to parts of the central U.S. has left more than 11,000 electric customers without power in Oklahoma, nearly all in northwest Oklahoma.
Woodward County Emergency Management Director Matt Lehenbauer said Sunday that the county is likely the hardest hit and thousands of residents remain without electricity.
Combined numbers from Oklahoma Gas and Electric and Northwestern Electric Cooperative show about 3,600 customers in Woodward County, nearly 1,900 in Harper County and about 1,400 in Ellis County had no electricity. Electric co-ops across the state reported more than 9,000 outages. OG&E reported more than 2,600.
Lehenbauer said as some power is restored, the ice that’s bent tree limbs begins to melt and the limbs snap back into place, sometimes knocking down additional power lines.
12:45 p.m.
Officials believe icy conditions contributed to a fiery crash involving two semitrailer trucks on Interstate 80 in central Nebraska.
The accident happened as the latest wave of sleet and drizzle was glazing parts of the central U.S. on Sunday.
The Nebraska Roads Department closed 15 miles of I-80 after the trucks crashed shortly before 9 a.m. The crash happened about 9 miles west of Kearney.
Pictures of the crash show the trucks on fire along the road, but the Nebraska State Patrol says no one was hurt.
I-80 reopened by in the area by noon Sunday, but officials were urging caution.
Highways in central Nebraska were covered by ice. Most of the ice accumulation is expected in eastern Nebraska and Iowa later Sunday into Monday.
Ice accumulations of one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch appear likely, making driving dangerous and threatening to bring down tree limbs and power lines.
