© AP Photo/David ZalubowskiA car and van are nearly buried in snow while parked in a lot near the mountain community of Genesee, Colo., on Saturday, April 18, 2009. Forecasters predict that the spring storm that has dumped up to two feet of snow in some parts of Colorado will move out on to the eastern plains on Saturday.
Denver - Hundreds of stranded travelers resumed their journeys Saturday after spending the night at shelters when a powerful spring storm walloped the Rocky Mountains and foothills west of Denver with more than 3 feet of snow.
Officials reopened an 80-mile stretch of Interstate 70 between Golden and Vail that had been closed Friday, said Colorado Department of Transportation spokesman Bob Wilson. Drivers were cautioned to expect heavy traffic and sloppy road conditions.
"It's not the I-70 you know in a June afternoon," Wilson said.
Storm warnings were dropped as the bulk of the storm moved east into Kansas.
About 15,000 homes and businesses were without power in Denver and areas north and west of the city. The heavy snow had weighed down power lines and tripped system circuit breakers. Piles of snow and closed roads were preventing crews from reaching some areas, Xcel Energy spokesman Joe Fuentes said, adding that crews hoped to restore power by 11 a.m. Sunday.
Comment: This just in from SOTT's special expeditionary correspondent - back home cooling off after his sizzling adventures in Cyprus:
"I can confirm from where I'm perched here in west Antartica, that the ice just goes on and on..."