Spring snowstorm hits Rocky Mountains

DENVER, April 18 (UPI) -- Colorado residents Saturday were digging out from a spring snowstorm that dropped up to 4 feet of snow in the Rocky Mountains, observers said.

Higher elevations, such as along Interstate 70 in Clear Creek County, received the greatest amounts, while several feet of snowfall had covered the foothills by Friday night with another 12 to 36 inches forecast to fall there through Saturday morning, The Denver Post reported.

Meanwhile, the city of Denver coped with a mixture of rain and snow while tornadoes swept the Colorado plains east of the Rockies, meteorologists said.

A state of emergency was declared in Clear Creek County, where two overnight shelters and at least two warming centers were set up by the American Red Cross, the Post said.

Power outages affected about 9,600 residents of the Evergreen, Colo., area, with utility officials saying electricity should be restored by noon Saturday as extra crews are called in. Isolated power outages were also reported for 7,000 households in Denver and Boulder, Colo.