A rush-hour storm swept through the Denver area Wednesday, uprooting trees, dumping hail and causing widespread flooding. Aurora police and residents reported a tornado, and up to 2 inches of rain pounded the region in one hour.
Large trees fell and blocked traffic in parts of Denver and Aurora, while cars were stranded in floodwaters. Sirens blared as a tornado warning was issued for the eastern part of the metro area.
At the height of the storm, at least 28 flights were diverted from Denver International Airport to airports as far away as Salt Lake City and Albuquerque. Flooding and the tornado warning forced the evacuation of a theater at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, where drifts of hail formed in the parking lot, and flooding set off alarms at the University of Denver’s Ritchie Center.
Todd Perkins, who lives in the Lowry neighborhood, was upstairs in his house when spotters said a tornado touched down.
“I think it literally hit just right in front of our house,” he said. “The house was shaking.” He described total darkness in front of the house and seeing trees bending at a 45-degree angle. Four trees were torn from the front yard, he said, and part of the roof was ripped off.
“We have a ton of water coming in,” he said. “There’s parts of people’s houses in our front yard.”
The National Weather Service said it would take time to determine if a tornado actually touched down but said it is likely the damage was caused by powerful straight-line winds.
The rain was intense. According to the weather service, 2.13 inches fell in 35 minutes near the old Stapleton Airport. In Glendale, 2.2 inches fell in less than an hour. Near the south end of the Lowry neighborhood, 1.93 inches fell in less than an hour.
Englewood saw 1.85 inches in the same time, while the Denver Zoo saw about 1.33 inches.
Traffic was a nightmare for afternoon commuters. Countless cars were stranded and some water rescues were reported. Many stoplights were out. Flash flood warnings lasted through the evening.
“I was coming from Dartmouth and Santa Fe, and it usually takes me about 45 minutes to drive it — with traffic — today it took more than an hour and a half,” said Alonso Padilla, who was relatively dry inside the KU Gas station at Colfax Avenue and Moline Street in Aurora.
“And the weird thing was I was on 225 driving north and there was hardly any traffic,” he said. “It was just so dark, and so much rain was falling that you couldn’t see more than about 20 feet in front of you. Some of the cars out there didn’t even try, they just pulled over.”
There was flooding all around the Park Hill and City Park areas. On Monaco Parkway, there were stalled cars from 17th to 26th avenues.
Wednesday was Bike to Work Day, but many had a soggy return trip home.
“It’s not that bad biking in the rain, as long as you’re prepared,” said a smiling Kenneth Rutherbories, who was on his bike near the Cherry Creek bike path, which was under several feet of water.
On Jackson Street just north of East Colfax Avenue in Denver, the block was lined with residents surveying the damage.
“The water ran all the way up and into the roof of my car,” said Bob Stone.
Stone and his wife, Erin, were waiting for an insurance adjuster; the parking lights on his car were busted by the rushing water.
Married for four weeks, Erin said her car wasn’t as damaged, thanks to Bob.
At 24 Hour Fitness Lowry in Denver, members and employees could see a tornado cloud circling and heading toward the ground.
“It was literally forming pretty much right outside the gym,” said Lisette Glover, a customer service representative.
Glover said everyone in the gym took cover on the floor then waited to see what would happen next.
“It didn’t touch down, but you could see it spinning, then it went up and dissipated,” she said.
She said the building didn’t appear to be damaged, but the heavy hail and rain were making it difficult to assess any damage.
The Denver Fire Department was slammed with calls for water rescues.
“We were overwhelmed because of the significance of the storm,” said Greg Pixley, a department spokesman. No fatalities were reported.
There is a 30 percent chance of severe thunderstorms again Thursday, according to the weather service.
Denver Post Staff Writers Matthew Leonard, Tom McGhee and Carlos Illescas contributed to this report.
