Clean-up is underway in western Kansas, following a weekend blizzard that dumped heavy snow and knocked down trees and power lines.
Most of the highways that were shut down due to the heavy snow were back open by noon on Monday, but there were still icy spots.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported numerous crashes along a stretch of I-70.
National Guard teams were called out more than 40 times to rescue stranded drivers. Fourteen National Guard teams operated from seven locations in northwest and southwest Kansas on Sunday.
The teams continued to operate today out of Colby, Lakin, Liberal, Norton, Scott City and Syracuse. The Kansas National Guard armories in Colby and Norton were opened as warming centers for stranded motorists.
The National Weather Service reports that about four inches up to two feet of snow fell during the weekend in a 40-mile wide band in northwest and west-central Kansas.
Dodge City received about four inches of snow. About six inches fell in Liberal. Garden City had about 8 to 12 inches of snow. In Colby and the surrounding area, about 12-18 inches of snow. The heaviest snow came along the Colorado state line. The area south of Syracuse received about 24 inches of snow.
The snow came with high wind—in the 40 to 60 mph range—that created white-out conditions at times, and drifts of up to five feet.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management says about 42,000 people were without power at the height of the storm.
Garden City is already planning special waste pickups to help people get rid of tree limbs and debris from the snowstorm.
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