If you?re hoping for snow, maybe next week

Omaha, Nebraska was one of the many Midwestern cities pounded by snow.

But such fierce winter weather is expected to sidestep Warren County and Middle Tennessee, the National Weather Service said yesterday afternoon.

Warren County residents may see an occasional snow flurry through Friday. Just don?t expect to be building any snowmen.

?We?re not expecting any accumulation,? said meteorologist Mike Girodo. ?If you?re hoping for snow, you?re probably going to have to wait until at least next week.?

Since it is mid-January, Girodo said to prepare for the chilly temperatures to linger.

?It looks like we?re finally settling into normal winter weather patterns,? said Girodo. ?It should stay cool for the most part.?

The snow-free forecast is welcome news for local residents still bracing for winter to show its nasty disposition. But in other parts of the nation, Old Man Winter has awakened from his slumber.

In the Northeast, residents were battling a heavy shell of ice that plastered roads and knocked out power. About 145,000 customers were without electricity in New York state and New Hampshire on Monday and Tuesday.

The storm left up to 10 inches of snow in western Maine.

In hard-hit Missouri, utility company Ameren said it would probably not have everyone?s electricity back on until late this evening. As of Tuesday morning, about 215,000 homes and businesses still had no electricity.

About 100,000 homes and businesses were waiting for power yesterday in Oklahoma, some of them waiting since the storm?s first wave struck on Friday. Ice built up by sleet and freezing rain was 4 inches thick in places.

Customers in some rural parts of Oklahoma might have to wait until next week for service, said Stan Whiteford of Public Service Co. of Oklahoma.

?There are a lot of places where virtually everything is destroyed. In some cases, entire electric services will have to be rebuilt,? Whiteford said.

More than 200,000 customers in Michigan also lost power and about 86,000 of them were still blacked out yesterday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.