John Bacon

USA TODAY

Almost 500,000 Pennsylvanians remained without power Thursday, a day after a winter storm left a thick coating of ice across much of the state.

The storm, which dumped more than a foot of snow across parts of the Midwest and East on Tuesday and Wednesday, knocked out power to more than 1 million people across the region.

But it saved its iciest wrath for Pennsylvania, where tree limbs heavy with ice crashed down on power lines across the eastern and central parts of the state.

At one point, almost 1 million electric customers in the state were without power, the vast majority in the Philadelphia area. Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission spokeswoman Jennifer Kocher said many residents won't have power restored until well into the weekend.

That is a problem in an area where the National Weather Service is calling for high temperatures to barely reach the freezing mark for the next several days.

Kocher said progress had been slow overnight as wind, cold and darkness made power restoration work difficult and dangerous for linemen.

"We expect to make strong gains in the daylight," she said. "We understand that it's a difficult situation for everyone."

Some homeowners fired up generators. Dave Dixon and his wife, whose suburban Philadelphia home went dark at 6 a.m. Wednesday, were staying with neighbors. But it wasn't clear how long that would be.

"If we wear out our welcome, we'll get a hotel," Dixon said.

Late Wednesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett issued a disaster emergency proclamation allowing state agencies to use all available resources and personnel to cope with the storm damage.

"People are going to have to have some patience," Corbett said.

There were modest improvements Thursday. The Pennsylvania Turnpike and State Police have lifted speed restrictions. And only four flights out of Philadelphia International Airport had been canceled as of mid-morning.

AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Pydynowski had little good news for the area, saying another storm system could sweep across the region Saturday and Sunday.

"There seems to be no end in sight for these snow-weary areas," he said.

The American Red Cross opened three shelters in southeastern Pennsylvania and stood ready to open more.

"We've been told to be prepared for four to six days. We are gathering staff and volunteers for up to a week," spokesman Dave Schrader said.

Contributing: Associated Press