The second day of summer brought the fury of Mother Nature with an outbreak of severe thunderstorms across portions of east-central Colorado.

The first storms fired up after the noon hour and quickly turned severe to the south of Denver over Douglas and Elbert counties.

Officials say an afternoon thunderstorm spawned a tornado that severely damaged a house under construction and toppled the top of a pine tree onto another home south of Elbert in Elbert County.

But no injuries have been reported.

Bob Glancy of the National Weather Service says radar indicated circulation in the clouds over the area, which was under a tornado warning. There were several reports of funnel clouds.

Elbert is about 30 miles southeast of Denver.

Several 7NEWS viewers sent in digital pictures of funnel clouds and tornadoes, including Chris Kinter, who captured a picture of a funnel cloud in Douglas County, on East Cherry Creek Road, just north of Jones Road.

Tornadoes were reported 10 miles southeast of Franktown, 6 miles southwest of Elizabeth, and near Punkin Center.

Airtracker7 flew over some homes under construction southeast of Franktown that were heavily damaged as the storms passed through.

The safest place to be during a tornado is in a basement. Get under a workbench or other piece of sturdy furniture. If no basement is available, seek shelter on the lowest floor of the building in an interior hallway or room such as a closet. Use blankets or pillows to cover your body and always stay away from windows.

If in mobile homes or vehicles, evacuate them and get inside a substantial shelter. If no shelter is available, lie flat in the nearest ditch or other low spot and cover your head with your hands.

The threat for widespread severe weather will diminish over the next few days as warmer, drier air works into the region.