ST. LOUIS — The temperature rose back above the freezing mark yesterday as hundreds of thousands of people waited for the restoration of electrical service that was knocked out by last week's snow and ice storm.After a run of temperatures in the teens, St. Louis thermometers registered 34 degrees late yesterday morning on their way to a high expected to be in the mid 40s. No additional snow or ice was in the immediate forecast, the National Weather Service said.

The St. Louis-based utility Ameren Corp. reported nearly 190,000 homes and businesses still without power yesterday in Illinois and Missouri. All but about 60,000 of those customers were in the St. Louis area.

The utility said it would be several more days before power is fully restored.

"We've had some ice storms before. This one puts them to shame," Ron Zdellar, vice president of energy for AmerenUE, said Monday.

Utility crews were working 18-hour shifts, especially in the biggest problem areas, where ice coated roads and utility poles. Workers from 14 states were helping.

"You can't imagine how bad the debris is in some areas," said Ameren spokesman Leigh Morris in Illinois. "You can't get to a downed line if you can't get down the roadway."

About 250 Illinois National Guard soldiers were in the Decatur, Illinois area yesterday to visit homes without power, said Patti Thompson, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. A medical emergency response team also had been sent to Decatur to help with medical care at a shelter for people with special needs.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich ordered the well-being checks on Monday.

The Missouri National Guard was sent to the St. Louis area shortly after Thursday's storm to make sure people were surviving without electric light and heat.

The American Red Cross had four warming shelters open in the St. Louis. The organisation has sheltered 1,100 people and served 9,000 meals and snacks since the power went out, said spokesman Stephen Hall.

The storm also caused widespread power outages elsewhere as it blew snow and ice from Texas to Michigan last week and battered parts of the Northeast with thunderstorms and high wind.

The number of deaths blamed on the storm rose Monday to at least 23, with three more deaths reported in Missouri and one more in Illinois. The causes included weather-related traffic accidents, fires, carbon monoxide poisoning and exposure, officials said.