Posted Wednesday, December 21, 2011 --- 7:45 a.m.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A winter storm blamed for at least two fatal vehicle accidents has moved out of the Great Plains, allowing crews to move in to plow away snow drifts and free stranded motorists from roadside hotels.

The fierce winds and heavy snowfall closed several major roadways before weakening yesterday as the weather moved into Missouri and toward the Great Lakes.

Officials reopened Interstate 40 in the Texas Panhandle and New Mexico, and portions of Interstate 70 in western Kansas. New Mexico reopened a closed section of Interstate 25, the main route from Santa Fe to the Colorado line, after crews cleared drifts as high as 5 feet. Many roads remain closed.

The storm dumped as much as 15 inches of snow in parts of five states.

Authorities are still reporting snow drifts of up to 10 feet high in southeast Colorado.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.