The Indiana General Assembly has called off any action for a second straight day because of the ice storm that hit central Indiana.

Leaders of the House and Senate both postponed committee meetings that were scheduled at the Statehouse for Wednesday after doing the same on Tuesday. Those sessions will be rescheduled later.

Most state offices closed early Tuesday as the winter storm arrived in the state, but the governor's office says those offices will be open for normal operations Wednesday.

State officials say a winter storm that dumped more than a foot of snow and sleet on northern Indiana has prompted 17 counties to declare snow emergencies calling for residents not to travel unless necessary.

State officials are urging residents in areas hard-hit by the storm to stay at home, but Gov. Mitch Daniels has directed state offices to be open for normal operations Wednesday, if possible.

Snow continued falling Wednesday morning over the northern third of the state. Freezing rain that cut power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses in central and southern Indiana has ended, but high winds buffeting the state could bring more outages.

Duke Energy reports about 49,000 of its customers in central and southern Indiana were without power at 6 a.m. Wednesday.