Stormy weather in northeastern Colorado on Monday included damaging winds that toppled structures and a truck, as well as bringing down power lines.
In Genoa, on the Eastern Plains, heavy winds damaged multiple barns, grain elevators, sheds and other structures, according to the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office Twitter account. One structure was tossed ¾ of a mile by wicked winds.
No injuries were reported.
Hail storms pelted various towns east of Denver Monday including Sedgwick, Crook, Wiggins and Elizabeth, according to the National Weather Service. Hail also hit Pine Junction in the foothills west of Denver.
Winds, with gusts up to 60 mph, caused problems Monday including blowing over a truck on Interstate-70 near Limon.
A couple of tornadoes were spotted, the weather service said. One touched down briefly, for about a minute, in an open field in eastern Adams County, about 8 miles northwest of Last Chance, the weather service reported. The second tornado, described as weak, touched down for about 5 minutes in an open field about 5 miles southwest of Kiowa. No damage or injuries were reported.
A possible tornado touch down was reported in southwestern Douglas County in the Devil’s Head area.
The National Weather Service initially confirmed a touchdown, based on weather spotter reports, but “rolling terrain” in the foothills area made it difficult to be absolute, said Kyle Fredin, a service spokesman.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said, however, it could not confirm a tornado touch down in the county.
Storms in the area were powerful enough to unleash hail, heavy rain and strong winds, the weather service reported.
Ping-pong size hail was reported as part of Monday’s stormy weather.
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A tornado watch was issued for more than 20 counties in Colorado from Monday afternoon into the evening.
The watch, in effect until 11 p.m. according to the National Weather Service, was for the following counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Bent, Boulder, Broomfield, Cheyenne, Crowley, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, El Paso, Jefferson, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Larimer, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Otero, Phillips, Prowers, Pueblo, Washington, Weld and Yuma.
A funnel cloud was spotted Monday afternoon in southwest Elbert County, according to the Elbert County Sheriff’s office.
In addition to possible tornadoes, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for central Jefferson County and southeastern Clear Creek County until 3:45 p.m., the weather service said.
The weather service said a severe storm was located near Evergreen and moving southeast at 35 mph. It dumped one-inch of hail in the Pine Junction area.
The next couple of days in northeastern Colorado are expected to cool down with temperatures in the low 70s expected for Tuesday and Wednesday, the weather service said.
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-954-1223, ehernandez@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ehernandez
