Heavy rain, hail and a possible tornado all menaced the Denver metro area Wednesday afternoon.
It was the second day in a row that hail hit the metro area. Golfball-size hail (pictured, right) pounded southwest Denver near Hampden and Sheridan around 2:30 p.m. Leaking roofs forced Southwest Plaza to close for the rest of the day. Traffic snarled throughout the metro area, as many drivers sought refuge from the hail under bridges.
The hailstorm also damaged portions the Bear Valley Shopping Center in southwest Denver, including the portions housing a Denver Motor Vehicles Office and Denver Workforce Development Center. Both offices will be closed for repairs until further notice.
"Tomorrow will be very similar to today. And then on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, temperatures will drop into the 70s. And look for a return of rain on Sunday," said Richard Ortner, 7NEWS meteorologist.
"Cooler weather plus more humidity equals more storms. That's the simple equation for our weather for the next couple of days," said Coniglio. "June is prime time for severe weather in Colorado and we could certainly see some strong storms in the late afternoons and evenings until the end of the week. A severe thunderstorm is one that produces 3/4" or larger diameter hail, and/or 58-or-greater mph winds.
"But please keep in mind that any thunderstorm creates the most dangerous weather in the United States -- lightning. The easy way to protect yourself is by using your ears and your feet. The ears: if you can hear thunder you are in range of lightning strikes. Then use your feet and get inside a sturdy, well-grounded structure," Coniglio said.
Severe Weather Strikes Tuesday Night
Severe weather Tuesday night left behind some damage in selected parts of the metro area. The storm may have only lasted 30 minutes, but where it hit, it hit with a vengeance.
In Golden, some roads turned into rivers and unfortunately that river dumped off into one home on 20th Street and Washington Avenue, filling the basement with almost a foot of water, 7NEWS reported. Firefighters were called to the scene to help the family pump the water out.
The neighborhood was also hit with hail, ranging from pea-size to golf ball-size. It was so intense residents said gutters and decks are ruined and most of the trees are now without leaves.
"There was no street, just hail," said Golden resident Richard Sievers.
There was so much hail that roadways and front yards looked like they were covered in snow.
In Lakewood, at Interstate 70 and Denver West Boulevard so much hail fell that several cars got stuck.
Joe Kushmer, the owner of a Hummer, said he was driving home when he saw about three cars stuck in the road. He thought his high-clearance vehicle could pass the test but his Humvee was also mired in the mess. Kushmer said it didn't bother him in the slightest and said it was actually fun to be buried with others.
"I gunned it again and high-centered the thing, then spent the next hour and a half digging myself out. But I didn't have to pay for the tow truck," Kushmer said, laughing, amid cheers from everyone who helped dig him out.
Kushmer and the others who stopped to see what all the commotion was about helped another vehicle and a tow truck dig out of the mess.
The hail apparently piled up in that area because of a nearby slope. that washed most of the rain and hail into one spot.
One witness said the massive amount of hail the craziest thing she's ever seen.
"We saw three cars stuck and we saw the Hummer sizing it up, deciding that he was going to take a run for it. It was probably the most amazing weather I've ever seen in my entire life," said Gosia Pastusiaa. "We were at the mall. We heard the hail. It sounded really loud and we went checked it out. The automatic doors kept opening and closing with the hail coming in."
The hail forced some to take refuge at the Colorado Mills Mall for a while. When the customers were able to get out, they said it looked like winter with several feet of hail on the ground.
The thunderstorm also hit near the Boulder Turnpike and Sheridan, where rain came down steady and the sky was lit up by numerous powerful strikes of lightning.
Fossil Trace Golf Club was closed Wednesday as a result of flash flooding and hail that hit the area Tuesday evening.
The storm caused damage to course, including silt in some bunkers, slight turf damage and damage to three greens. Fossil Trace’s PGA head golf professional Jim Hajek made the decision to close the course because some standing water and hail remains on the course.
“Because we are driven to be one of the best golf experiences in Colorado, we have decided not to open (Wednesday),” Hajek said. “We will make a decision later concerning Thursday’s play.”
The rain also caused a mudslide in Clear Creek Canyon near the intersection of U.S. 6 and Colorado 119, which affected traffic but did not close the highway.
Much of the Denver metropolitan area remained under flash flood warnings Tuesday evening. The National Weather Service reported "considerable" flash flooding from Golden to Arvada.
More than a half-inch of rain fell in Genesee in 15 minutes, with hail falling across Jefferson County.
No injuries were reported.
Additional Resources: Copyright 2005 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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