Another cold night in Oklahoma; 7 deaths reported

Officials reported more than 79,000 customers were still without power at 9 tonight after a day when temperatures failed to escape the 20s for much of the affected area. The number of customers without power was down about 29,000 from 24 hours earlier and down from the high of 180,000 reported Friday morning.

Thursday's storm is blamed for seven deaths in Oklahoma and hundreds of injury accidents.

Temperatures are expected to reach the high 30s Monday in the Oklahoma City area and the low 40s in southwest Oklahoma, where virtually all of the power outages are. Overnight freezing fog is expected, and the Oklahoma City area could receive freezing drizzle before noon, according to the National Weather Service.

Deaths reported

Seven deaths have been attributed to the storm, said Michelann Ooten, spokeswoman for the state Emergency Management Department.

- A 70-year-old Ada woman, whose name has not been released, was using a generator Friday after she lost power and died when a propane tank used to fuel it exploded, Ooten said.

- A 73-year-old Pontotoc County man died Saturday in a house fire caused by a wood-burning stove he was using because of a power outage.

- Rubin Rodriguez, 33, died this morning near Holdenville when his car veered off the road on a snow-covered embankment and hit a culvert, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported.

- A 59-year-old Geary woman fell on the slick ground when she went out to feed chickens about 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning.