Powerful winds shake Northwest; 200,000 still lack power in southern U.S.

SEATTLE - 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.

A lingering ice storm, meanwhile, kept as many as 150,000 customers struggling without power in Texas and in Arkansas, where five people have died this week in storm-related accidents.

And Wyoming braced for yet another snow lashing and strong winds, predicted to push the wind chill reading to 60 below zero. Mountain passes throughout the state were closed as road crews set off explosives to trigger avalanches.

On Washington's principal east-west artery, Interstate 90, one death was reported on snowy roads, and eastbound lanes were closed for about four hours by fallen trees. After it reopened, it was closed by traffic accidents as snow squalls built drifts and reduced visibility.

Power was restored to most homes in western Washington by Friday night.

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.

In Arkansas, five people died in storm-related accidents, including a volunteer who was clearing roads when he was hit by a falling tree and a state trooper trying to help a stranded motorist.

Several communities called for Arkansas National Guard generators to keep water systems running.

Police in Magnolia sent traffic to a McDonald's restaurant which was mobbed Thursday because it was 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.''

Kansas braced for snow and freezing rain over the weekend after icy weather blew into the state, killing a man when his car spun on an icy road and was hit by a truck near Pittsburg on Friday.

In Idaho, winds knocked out power for tens of thousands of residents and stopped traffic. Rosalyn Smith, a police dispatcher in Pocatello, reported ''crash after crash'' as tractor-trailers and cars slid off the ice on Interstate 15.

In Missouri, a woman was killed on a highway after an ice storm caused havoc for motorists, closing schools and threatening air traffic out of St. Louis. Tractor-trailers jackknifed and vehicles slid off frozen highways.

''It's bad out there. People have no business driving today,'' said Officer Bob Larimer in Springfield, where 14 inches of snow fell Wednesday.

Frigid conditions, periods of blowing snow and single-digit temperatures were predicted for much of the state on Saturday.

''You might as well go into hibernation at this point. This is ridiculous for December.'' said Evan Bookbinder, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield.