Next wave of storms on way

(AP) -- Americans from Oklahoma to New England are bracing for more harsh winter weather as a storm system continues to bring waves of misery.

The National Weather Service issued winter weather watches for the northwest two-thirds of Oklahoma from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning.

Between 2 and 6 inches of snow was predicted for parts of Kansas and Oklahoma, said meteorologist Ken Harding.

By late Friday afternoon, snow was already falling on the outskirts of Oklahoma City.

In Missouri, the National Weather Service said two waves of snow Friday night and Saturday could dump up to 7 inches. Watch what's in store for Friday and Saturday »

The second wintry blast could complicate efforts to restore power to the more than 280,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri still blacked out after the first storm put a million customers in the dark at its height this week.

That storm, which coated much of the Plains in ice before moving dumping snow on the Northeast, has killed at least 38 people, mostly in traffic accidents. It has been blamed for 23 deaths in Oklahoma alone. See photos of the storm »

An Xcel Energy serviceman working to restore power in an Oklahoma City neighborhood peppered by toppled trees said Friday that he expected the new storm to hamper recovery efforts, but not create massive new power failures.

"All this kind of work is safety-based, so any time you get another weather aspect, then there goes another safety factor," said Scott Falkner.

Weather Service meteorologist Pete Snyder agreed with that assessment.

"For crews that are out there trying to restore power, it'd be more of a headache," Snyder said.

The storm also threatened to steal manpower from efforts to clear fallen trees. Dan Crossland, a public works official in Tulsa, said almost every city crew removing downed tree limbs will be spun off to clear the streets when the second storm comes.

"I intend to stay on 12-hour shifts until every street is clear," Crossland said. "These guys are dragging."

The Kansas National Guard continued to deliver generators and supplies to communities, knowing more would be needed.

The first storm changed from ice to snow as it blew into the Northeast, dumping 2 inches to a foot across the region and catching many municipalities by surprise, even after it wreaked havoc to the west. See how winter storms form »

Some commuters in Boston spent eight hours driving home Thursday evening, and public school buses were still dropping off students at 11 p.m.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick defended the state's storm response Friday after meeting with public safety, transportation and emergency officials.

"People were asked to leave early, and they didn't," Patrick said. "What would have helped, I think in this case, would have been a more uniform early release."

As the snow fell, traffic on Rhode Island highways backed up past the Massachusetts state line, and about 300 vehicles got stuck or collided with others.

Providence Mayor David Cicilline ordered an investigation into why dozens of school buses got stranded on city streets.

But while the worst was over in the Northeast, at least for now, Plains residents continued to cope with maintaining the basics.

Bill Weaver, a Tulsa resident who moved here two years ago to escape hurricane-battered New Orleans, waited in his frigid home Friday for the electricity to be turned back on, deadpanning: "So, here we are."

He had two gas-log fireplaces going, warming about a third of his home.

"It doesn't keep the showers warm," Weaver said. "It's cold baths." E-mail to a friend

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