KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A third wave of sleet and drizzle glazed swaths of the central United States on Sunday, extending a period of icy weather that has snarled traffic and left thousands without power.

Much of the region remained under an ice storm warning on the eve of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday as sections continued getting pelted by rain, often in areas where temperatures hovered around freezing.

The freeze made roads harrowing. In Kansas near Kansas City, two troopers escaped injury when their vehicles were struck while working a crash on Interstate 635.

And in central Nebraska, authorities believe icy conditions contributed to a fiery crash involving two tractor-trailers shortly before 9 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 80, forcing a three-hour closure of 15 miles of Interstate 80. There were no injuries.

Authorities say ice contributed to a southwestern Kansas wreck Saturday night that killed a 35-year-old Oklahoma man and injured several others. The Kansas Highway Patrol said Thay Torres-Ocacio of Guymon, Okla., died after the sport utility vehicle in which he was riding went out of control on an overpass and eventually overturned several times.

Some people lost power amid the storm. Nearly 11,000 electric customers were without power in Oklahoma, nearly all in northwestern part of the state.

Woodward County emergency management director Matt Lehenbauer said Sunday that the county was probably the hardest hit. He said that as some power is restored, the ice that’s bent tree limbs begins to melt and the limbs snap back into place, sometimes knocking down additional power lines.

South of Kansas City, the latest round of storms dumped three-quarters of an inch of precipitation overnight, resulting in about one-quarter of an inch of ice.

Jared Leighton, a National Weather Service meteorologist near Kansas City, Mo., said Sunday that while the breadth of the ice accumulations fell short of expectations, ‘‘that shouldn’t distract from the impact of the storm.’’

Becky Allmeroth, a state maintenance engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation, said ice is ‘‘the most difficult storm to fight.’’

‘‘We are keeping up with the changing conditions, but it is a continual battle,’’ she said of the department’s around-the-clock scrambling to treat the glazed roads. ‘‘The precipitation is coming in waves, and we have to apply more salt.’’

Many residents had prepared for the storms by stocking up on bread, milk, and other necessities and by buying flashlights and generators to have on hand in case power gets knocked out.

Associated Press