The storm was expected to continue through at least Tuesday.

The ice, wind and snow downed trees, traffic signals and power lines, blocked roads and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights. Churches cancelled Sunday services and businesses closed early or did not open at all.

Ten people died in Oklahoma where slippery highways caused more than 200 accidents, the Oklahoman newspaper reported.

With about 100,000 people without power in Oklahoma, state Governor Brad Henry asked the federal government for assistance in handling the consequences of the ice storm, the paper reported on its website.

"We're doing everything we can to help Oklahomans who have lost power or suffered other hardships because of the winter storm," Henry said.

"We need additional resources that only the federal government can provide."

A state of emergency was declared and the National Guard was called out in the midwestern state of Missouri after an ice storm knocked power out to more than 200,000 homes on a bitterly cold weekend.

Emergency shelters and hotels were filled by people trying to warm up and a nursing home had to be evacuated because of the freezing temperatures, local media reported.

In Texas, the governor also called out the National Guard after more than six inches of rain caused flash flooding and dramatic high-water rescues.

One woman was swept away by floodwaters in an Austin creek and a man who jumped in to save her was rescued when he was spotted clinging to foliage in water up to his neck, the Austin-American Statesman reported.

Crowds filled grocery stores to stock up on essentials after the rain was forecast to turn into an ice storm, the Statesman reported.

Record-breaking cold weather even hit California, which usually has mild temperatures throughout the year, with citrus farmers in the Central Valley and the southern part of the state using wind-machines to protect their fruit, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Photos showed icicles hanging off of tangerine trees in a Central Valley orchard, a rare sight in the state.

"This is a very, very big cold front," National Weather Service spokesman Greg Romano told AFP.

"We're aware of at least six fatalities and numerous injuries due to weather-related vehicle accidents as of Saturday afternoon. There's been tree damage, downed power lines and significant power outages."

Parts of Colorado got up to half a meter (18 inches) of snow while up to eight centimeters (three inches) of sleet were reported in Illinois, Kansas and Missouri, Romano said. Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri got 2.5 centimeters (an inch) or more of freezing rain.

The storm is gathering moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and cold air from the Arctic, Romano said. It is expected to hit the east coast on Tuesday.

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