Missouri ice storm leaves thousands without power, 2 dead

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Utility crews worked to clear fallen tree limbs from power lines Tuesday as thousands of people across southern Missouri waited without electricity after an ice storm blamed for at least two traffic deaths.

At least 54 injuries in crashes were also blamed on the storms that dumped freezing rain, sleet and snow, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

The patrol said Molly R. Schwartz, 20, of Jonesburg, died Monday night when the car she was driving slid on ice on Interstate 70 in Warren County, hit a concrete culvert and landed on its roof.

Joshua K. Holshouser, 32, of Scott City, was thrown from a car that slid on ice and flipped over Monday on Interstate 55 about four miles north of New Madrid, the patrol said.

The State Emergency Management Agency, activated by Gov. Matt Blunt to coordinate between responding agencies, said utilities in southeast Missouri reported up to 27,000 customers without power Tuesday morning.

In southwest Missouri, Springfield's City Utilities had about 4,700 customers without electricity and Joplin-based Empire District put its tally at about 2,400 customers, most of them around the town of Ozark just south of Springfield.

"All of southern Missouri from southwest to southeast got whacked by ice overnight," said State Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Susie Stonner.

Up to an inch of ice and 2 more inches of sleet fell across southern Missouri on Monday as waves of freezing rain, snow, sleet and thunderstorms crossed the area.

Snow flurries continued into Tuesday and daytime temperatures in the 20s meant no quick end to ice that hung on trees and made sidewalks and some secondary roads treacherous.

Highways and main roads were mainly clear in southwest Missouri and still partly covered with slush in southeastern areas, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation.

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On the Net:

MoDOT road conditions map: http://maps.modot.mo.gov/travelerinformation/TravelerInformation.asp x