The ice storms blamed for at least 19 deaths in the U.S. continued to lash much of the nation Sunday, as crews tried to restore power to hundreds of thousands and slick roads spawned accidents.

Waves of freezing rain, sleet and snow since Friday have caused at least 10 deaths in Oklahoma, six in Missouri, two in Texas and one in New York.

A power pole leans at an angle with the weight of accumulated ice and freezing rain following a series of ice storms in Springfield, Mo., on Sunday.
(Mark Schiefelbein/Associated Press)

Seven adults were killed early Sunday near Elk City, Okla., when the minivan they were in hit a slick spot on Interstate 40, crossed the median and hit a tractor-trailer, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt said about 300,000 households there remained without power on Sunday. About 350 National Guardsmen were going door to door, checking on residents in the hardest-hit areas. They were helping to clear slick roads of tree limbs and power lines.

"We have what appears to be a three-wave storm," he said. "We're in the final wave of it."

Nearly 150,000 customers lacked power in Oklahoma, utilities reported.

In Nebraska, which has been pummeled by winter storms in the past month, the weekend storm dropped even more snow, making roads treacherous.

As the storm faded from the nation's midsection, parts of the East began to suffer.

In Albany, N.Y., a 22-year-old fell about 27 metres from a bridge to a road below after climbing a railing to avoid being hit by a sliding car. He had gotten out of his vehicle around 2 a.m. after a crash.

In Syracuse, N.Y., Interstate 81 was closed for about two hours after about 30 cars were involved in six accidents early Sunday.

Several people were taken to hospitals.

Storm to move northeast

The storm system was expected to continue heading northeast, said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Pedigo. While the Ohio region could see rain Monday afternoon, lower Michigan and parts of New England could see more than a foot of snow.

In the St. Louis region, about 150,000 people remained without power Sunday afternoon, after a pattern of freezing and thaws.

"We've had three real pushes of rainfall," said National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Kramper.

One was Friday, one Saturday and a third came Sunday afternoon and persisted into the evening.