STERLING, Colo. -- On Wednesday night, a twister in northeastern Colorado tore a path of destruction through Sterling, located about 100 miles northeast of Denver, injuring two people.

Video

See Dramatic Home Video Of Tornado Touching Down See Tornado, Hail Damage

One home was destroyed and the roofs were blown off several buildings in the downtown area, including the roof of the Arby's restaurant. Damage was estimated at $5 to $7 million.

Part of the roof of Holloway Chevrolet-Buick-Toyota dealership was torn off and landed in the used car lot, destroying several cars.

"There's extensive damage in the building. It's leaking everywhere," said Doug Holloway, whose father owns the dealership. "There were pieces of insulation that were blocks and blocks away."

A Burger King worker saw it happen from across the street.

"It kind of sounded like a train going through when the metal flew by. It was really loud. There were sparks everywhere," said witness Sherry Bonesteel.

Tanna Prince, who works next door to the dealership (pictured, right) at the River City Grill, said customers ran to the back of the restaurant after they saw flying debris outside.

"It was too close for comfort," Prince said.

Dallas Hall at Northeast Junior College had its roof damaged and at Sterling High School, 50-70 windows were blown out, said Bob Olme, Sterling's Fire Chief. He also said the fairgrounds complex received significant structural damage and the stadium seating was blown away.

Blowing, falling trees also damaged the county government maintenance shop and numerous homes, Olme said.

The National Weather Service classified the twister as an F-2 tornado, with sustained winds of up to 112 mph.

The storm struck about 7:30 p.m. knocking out electricity to 29 city blocks and triggering a half dozen natural gas leaks. Xcel energy crews spent all night restoring power to homes and businesses. Only a handful of people are still without power.

One person suffered cuts and bruises and another was treated for exposure to natural gas, city officials said in a news release. The city set up a method of offering volunteer labor, service or materials. Call (970) 522-9700 to offer assistance.

At least two other tornadoes touched down near the towns of Strasburg and Bennett, about 40 miles east of Denver.

No damage was reported from either of those twisters.

Hail Pounds Metro Area

Wednesday's storm also caused a lot of damage in the metro area, particularly from large hail stones. Hail pounded almost all the cars on the lot of Peak Nissan, leaving behind dents on the hoods and roofs and shattering front and back windows.

"All of a sudden, all hell broke loose," said Sam Rejnavi with Peak Nissan.

The Nissan dealership said they'll fix up the cars but plan to have a major "hail sale" soon.

A few blocks away, hail destroyed the roof of the Denver Motor Vehicles building, which also houses a catering company.

"It was probably the most amazing thing I ever saw," said Tom Harper, owner of Food Guy Catering.

The DMV said a new roof should be constructed Wednesday and Harper said that he had a contingency plan for such disasters so his weekend clients won't be left without any food for their parties.

Golf-ball sized hail pelted several sections of the metro area, snapping tree limbs and causing a lot of alarm. Piles of hailstones resembled snow in the western suburb of Lakewood.

Near Watkins in Adams County, heavy rain created an instant river.

More than 18,000 lightning strikes passed through the state and winds up to 77 mph were reported in eastern Elbert County.

Estimates Of Damage Not Known

Estimates are still coming in on the cost of the damage but insurance agents are bracing for the onslaught of phone calls after the storms of the last two days.

The Front Range is located in the heart of Hail Alley, meaning that it gets the most amount of large hail in North America.

If you carry comprehensive coverage on your car, hail damage is covered by almost all insurance companies. For home damage, experts say to consider your deductible and whether it's cost effective to make a claim or just fix the damage.

"The standard homeowner's policy does not include flooding. A lot of the damage we saw yesterday was sewer, basement backups because of hail and flooding. That's not something that's going to be covered under a standard policy," said Carole Walker with Rocky Mountain Insurance Association.

Also, beware of insurance scams that creep up in the wake of such storms.

"It's important to know that when these storms are brought to light by the media, it brings people out that may not be reputable. Make sure you have an adjuster out there, then get a reputable contractor," said Walker.

Before you hire off-the-street repair people, many who often scam households following hail storms, check with the Better Business Bureau.

In the last 10 years, hailstorms have caused $1.7 billion dollars in insured damage in Colorado.

Today's Forecast

The good news is that the state can take a breather now.

"Today will be windy from the west. It will be mostly clear and dry with highs in the upper 70s and low 80s," said 7NEWS Meteorologist Richard Ortner.

Gusty westerly winds will move through the metro area this afternoon, but plenty of sunshine will abound. It should be a nice break from the rough weather that has pummeled the Front Range for the past two days, Ortner said.

Skies will be mostly sunny by afternoon, and highs will be close to seasonal averages. In other words, close to 80 degrees.

The severe weather threat now lies over far eastern Colorado and western Nebraska and Kansas. Look for thunderstorms to bubble up later this afternoon in this part of the region. Today's severe weather threat includes large hail, heavy rain, damaging wind, and the possibility of tornadoes.

Keep an eye to the sky this afternoon, and stay tuned to TheDenverChannel.com and Denver's 7 for updates later today should severe thunderstorms develop.

Additional Resources:

7-Day Weather Forecast
Doppler Radar
Check All I-70 Cams At Once!
ColoradoCams
Sign Up For Daily Weather Forecast Emails!
Sign Up For Severe Weather Alerts
Road Conditions
Road Alerts and Restrictions
File Accident Reports Online
DIA Flight Info
NWS State Weather Roundup