Amid icy weather causing havoc on Pennsylvania roadways, the Pennsylvania Turnpike says a fatal accident has closed traffic on one section of the turnpike.

A turnpike official said one driver was killed in the 11 p.m. Tuesday crash involving three tractor-trailers that closed the eastbound lanes of the turnpike between the Gettysburg Pike and Harrisburg West.The turnpike earlier ordered speed limits reduced to 45 mph and banned empty tractor-trailers. State highway officials also dropped speed limits to 45 mph on many roads including a number of interstates.The icy weather has also knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers and prompted school delays and closures and delays in state House and Senate proceedings.The icy conditions have knocked out power to more than 200,000 electric customers in southeastern Pennsylvania and prompted school delays and closures, legislative delays and cancellations and speed reductions on major roadways.PECO reported more than 217,000 customers without power early Wednesday in the five-county Philadelphia region, most of them in suburban counties. More than 95,000 customers were without power in Chester County alone.The Pennsylvania Turnpike ordered speed limits reduced to 45 mph and has banned empty tractor-trailers until further notice. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation also dropped speed limits to 45 mph on a number of roads including a number of interstates.The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Administration reported delays and some cancellations on suburban Philadelphia routes, and a spokesman said Wednesday morning that the situation appeared to be worsening as ice and moisture brought trees down onto lines. Riders were urged to use caution and delay commutes if possible until conditions improved.Philadelphia International Airport reported 139 cancelled flights early Wednesday but planned normal operations with all four runways open.Many school districts announced delays and some canceled classes entirely.The Pennsylvania House will be on a two-hour delay while the Pennsylvania Senate and offices under the Governor's jurisdiction were on a three-hour delay, while almost all committee hearings were canceled.Pittsburgh and surrounding areas were dealing with about three inches of snow, topped by ice created by freezing rains that began falling before dawn. Most roads were plowed and passable, though black ice was a consideration in spots as the freezing drizzle continued in spots as the morning rush hour began.Forecasters earlier said the state's remote northern tier could see its deepest snowfall of the season, while the vast and populous eastern region south of Interstate 80 was in line for ice, sleet or snow."It's not an easy forecast by any means _ a little bit of everything for everybody, it seems like," said meteorologist John LaCorte with the National Weather Service in State College. "About the only thing we probably won't have is locusts."Greg Penny, a spokesman for the PennDOT region around Harrisburg, said authorities expected "trees down, entangled with power lines" to make traffic a mess."It's going to be a messy commute, there's no way around that," he said.___Associated Press writer Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg contributed to this report.