By Carey Gillam
KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - A vicious ice storm sweeping through the U.S. Plains left more than 600,000 people without power as frigid temperatures plunged and contributed to at least 14 deaths, authorities said on Monday.
The icy blast downed tree limbs and power lines, leaving more than 500,000 people without power in Oklahoma, where shelters opened throughout the region for those driven from cold and dark homes, and national guardsmen and volunteers were transporting food and water to hard-hit areas.
"This particular storm is now the worst in company history in terms of customers affected," said Brian Alford, spokesman for Oklahoma Gas and Electric.
Crews were sent from Texas, Louisiana, Indiana and Mississippi to help repair power lines, which snapped seemingly as quickly as they could be repaired.
The storm also shut down electricity service to more than 102,000 people in Missouri, more than 11,000 people in Illinois and about 5,000 in Kansas.
In all, ice storm warnings were issued from Texas up through Oklahoma and Kansas and east across Missouri into Illinois, with up to an inch of ice accumulation possible in some areas. Iowa and Arkansas were also affected.
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt declared a state of emergency, calling out the state National Guard to aid communities hit by the storm. "We are only just beginning to see the devastation from this series of storms," he said.
Ice-slicked roads contributed to the deaths of 12 people in Oklahoma during the weekend, state officials said. One Oklahoma man died of hypothermia. A Missouri motorist died when he stopped to help another driver and was hit by a car skidding on ice. Continued...
Ice on bicycles in Oklahoma. 
So far at least 15 people have died in a major ice storm in the United States which has left more than 600,000 residents and businesses across three states, without electricity. Officials for the utility companies say that this could be the worst ice storm in history.

"This particular storm is now the worst in company history in terms of customers affected," said Oklahoma Gas and Electric spokesman, Brian Alford.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has ice storm warnings still in effect for Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois where as much as one inch of ice can accumulate on outdoor surfaces.
NOAA US Weather alerts for December 10, 2007 at 01:03 UTC
A State of Emergency has already been declared in Missouri with Governor Matt Blunt saying "we are only just beginning to see the devastation from this series of storms." Bowling Green has already seen nearly two to three inches of ice since Saturday December 8. Most other areas of Missouri have received 1/2 inch to one inch of ice.

Illinois has also seen accumulation, with the greatest total of one inch received in Poplar Grove.

Edna, Columbus, Pittsburg, Independence and Hutchinson, Kansas have all received at least one inch of ice along with parts of Texas and Oklahoma.

The NWS says that more storms are on the way and more ice is likely across the same regions.

"A series of low pressure centers have brought ice and snow from the Rockies, Southern Plains, to the Midwest and portions of the Northeast. Several additional disturbances and the presence of shallow Arctic air will continue to bring bouts of freezing rain, sleet, and snow from the Southwest to the Plains States, Midwest, and Northeast over the next several days," said a statement on the NWS's website.