SEATTLE (AP)--Winds
gusting up to 90 mph left at least 100,000 homes and businesses
without electricity Friday in western Washington as snow snarled
traffic in other parts of the state.
One death
was reported on snowy roads, and the eastbound lanes of Interstate
90, Washington state's principal east-west artery, were closed
for about four hours early Friday by fallen trees.
Portland General
Electric and Pacificorp said the high winds and falling trees
temporarily cut service to about 45,000 customers in Oregon.
The National
Weather Service blamed the blustery weather on a rapidly moving
cold front that blew out a brief warm spell.
To the south
and east, the storm that slathered a coating of ice on trees,
streets and power lines in Arkansas kept more than 80,000 homes
and businesses without power Friday, and more freezing rain was
predicted for later in the day. More than 100 schools were closed
throughout the state.
A similar
number of households in Texas remained powerless, but temperatures
were rising and the situation was returning to normal more quickly.
Some residents in East Texas, however, were told they would be
in the dark through the weekend.
In Louisiana,
43,000 customers were still without power on Friday, and many
were frustrated without such conveniences as dishwashers and televisions.
``We're going
stir crazy inside here,'' 76-year-old Shreveport resident Walter
Bruce said.
``It is like
living back in the 1800s,'' said his son Kenney Bruce.
Two people
in Arkansas died Thursday in traffic accidents caused by slick
roads, and several communities called for Arkansas National Guard
generators to keep water systems running.
Police in
Magnolia had to direct traffic at a McDonald's restaurant that
was mobbed Thursday because one of the few places in town with
both heat and lights.
``We've been
having new (outages) come along. The trees are holding up the
load of ice the best they can, and then they fall,'' said David
Lewis, spokesman for Entergy Arkansas, the state's largest electric
utility.
He said 80
percent of homes without power would be back on line by Saturday,
although some customers might have to wait until late Tuesday
or early Wednesday.
``I've not
seen an ice storm like this since 1972 or '73,'' said Wynne Assistant
Fire Chief Mike Hamrick said. ``It's not melting.''
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