No Reprieve From Deadly Winter Storm

In many places, this winter will be a fun story to pass on to the grandchildren: snowballs in Malibu and, until only a few days ago, golfing in Chicago and shorts in New York.

In other places, it's still one that won't be forgotten, but it's no laughing matter.

Wednesday, as icy weather spread from California to the East Coast and from Maine on down into Mexico, hundreds of airline flights were canceled, the death toll rose to 65 in nine states, tens of thousands of homes and businesses lost power, and a 300-mile stretch of Interstate 10, a major east-west highway, was closed.

In California, farm damage is so serious that a state of emergency has been declared and some farm workers are already out of work - with no crop to pick or pack.

While temperatures in the nation's mid-section were expected to rise above freezing and melt some of the ice Thursday, "a new developing storm which caused that sudden burst of snow over the hills of Southern California yesterday will be spreading another mixed bag of snow, sleet and freezing rain over most of this same storm battered areas later tomorrow lasting into Friday night and Saturday, possibly undoing all of the repair work that's just taken place there," warned CBS News meteorologist George Cullen.

That means there could be another 8 inches of snow on the Plains by late Friday.

Students who enjoyed extended weekends after Martin Luther King Jr. Day were to head back to class Thursday in San Antonio, Houston and Austin as transportation officials reopened some roadways that were closed because of icy conditions.

Many schools across Oklahoma planned to remain closed Thursday, some through the rest of the week, prompting concerns about how that instruction time will have to be made up.

In Tulsa, Okla., the city's salt supply was running critically low, as 50 spreaders worked to clear streets near schools and hilly areas. "Everyone's in the same boat," said Dan Crossland, the city's street maintenance supervisor. "We're scrounging for resources."

The number of customers without electric power in Oklahoma dropped by about 18,000 on Wednesday, but 74,000 thousand others still were waiting for the lights to come on again.

In Texas, more than 350 flights out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, San Antonio and Austin were canceled as officials worked to de-ice runways.

Some airlines ran out of the chemicals used to de-ice the planes, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella.

Freezing rain and sleet descended upon the streets of Laredo, Texas, and other communities along the Mexican border. Tourists at The Alamo were bundled up and in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, there were icicles hanging from famous landmarks.

Across the country, storms since Friday have cut off what had been an unseasonably mild winter in many areas.

Frigid conditions tested even those used to snow and ice. The entire state of Maine was no warmer than the single digits, and several communities saw dangerous wind chills. It was minus-16 degrees in Caribou.

In New Hampshire, only about 825 of the more than 50,000 homes and businesses that lost power in the ice storm remained without power Thursday, said Martin Murray, a Public Service Company of New Hampshire spokesman.

Freezing rain and some snow showers were reported across South Carolina early Thursday morning as some school districts delayed the start of classes.

"A mixture of rain and snow will be moving up the Carolina coastlines and into the Mid-Atlantic states as the day wears on, with the Northeast getting a taste of it during the night," said Cullen. "It won't be much, though, and coastal areas will probably get nothing more than a cold rain for a few hours."

In California, a fast-moving cold storm dropped snow in the mountains above Malibu, left white coats of hail in the city and unleashed a blizzard Wednesday that closed Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles.

The snow sent cars sliding out of control, and kids into snowball fights, reports CBS News correspondent Jerry Bowen.

In Huntsville, Texas, tow truck driver Buddy Poole stationed himself near an overpass on Interstate 45.

"It's bad out there because nobody knows how to drive on that ice," he told CBS affiliate KHOU-TV. "They run it too fast, and then when they get to the bridge, they slam on the brakes on the bridge, and that's when they lose it."

"You always need to keep your speed down when driving in ice or snow," warns Robert Sinclair of the American Automobile Association. "Speed is the main cause for any crash in those conditions."

Since Friday, the storm system's waves of freezing rain, sleet and snow have been blamed for at least 23 deaths in Oklahoma, 11 in Missouri, 8 in Iowa, 4 each in New York and Michigan, 10 in Texas, 3 in Arkansas and 1 each in Maine and Indiana.

In the Pacific Northwest, another round of snow hit Tuesday in Puget Sound in Washington – an area more known for drizzle rather than its recent freezing weather – snarling traffic and closing schools for over than 380,000 students. Oregon's Legislature delayed hearings and sessions until afternoon because of the weather.

In California, a deep freeze that began on Friday has destroyed up to three-quarters of the state's citrus crop, and that could mean $1 billion in losses, reports

Strawberries took a big hit, reports Bowen. There were not many to be found at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

"We're not going to have that many strawberries. It's going to be real light," said grower Gloria Tamai.

While you'll likely pay more for fresh citrus, the price increase for orange juice shouldn't be much. Florida Citrus Mutual Executive Director Mike Sparks told CBS News correspondent Peter King. That's because most juice oranges don't come from California.

"Florida does supply most of the oranges for juice," he said.

Avocado lovers can relax, too. Most of that crop was picked before the freeze, so there's no shortage forecast for Super Bowl Sunday Feb. 4, reports Bowen.

"Guacamole for everybody!" declared avocado grower Laura Ramirez.

Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pledging that all workers idled by the deep freeze - regardless of immigration status - will get help from the state. Illegal immigrants won't, however, be eligible for unemployment checks.

Schwarzenegger has asked the federal government for disaster aid. Other crops, including avocados and strawberries, also suffered damage.

"This is not just about the crop this year. It could also have a devastating effect next year," said Schwarzenegger.