A tornado touched down along the Boulder-Larimer County line Thursday evening, and the stormy weather also unleashed heavy rain, heavy hail and damaging winds. At least 25 homes were damaged in the area, roads were washed out and damaged, power lines were downed and trees were uprooted.
Meanwhile, on the Eastern Plains, at least five houses were damaged by a tornado near Simla.
There were no immediate reports of injuries from either tornado, but Father Greg Ames, of Fort Collins, told the Daily Camera his niece, Michelle Senesac, was in surgery after her leg was impaled on a fence post.
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Senesac was one of about 30 people at Highland Lake, near Mead, when the tornado came down.
“The tornado actually hit them,” Ames told the newspaper. “It was right there on top of them.”
Late in the evening, a flash flood emergency was issued for the Lyons area, where as much as 8 inches of rain had fallen on an area still recovering from the 2013 floods. Nearly 2 inches was reported in 75 minutes. Kelly Matre of Lyons Fire told the Daily Camera that “roads are covered in water, probably 6 inches.” He said some houses had water flowing through them.
The tornado initially was spotted at about 7 p.m., 5 miles east of Lyons. It was moving west at about 15 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
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The tornado damaged some homes in the area, according to the Daily Camera, including one home on Blue Mountain Road, near Berthoud, which sheriff’s dispatchers described as “completely obliterated.”
Among the areas hit hardest was a section of Yellowstone Road from 83rd to 95th streets, northwest of Longmont. Boulder County scanner traffic had reported multiple funnel clouds north of Longmont after 7 p.m., and Lyons was pounded by large hail.
The Weather Service warned of “flying debris” and the possibility of homes being damaged.
Downed power lines and damaged roads were reported. Law enforcement shut down several roads as precautionary measures.
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The weather service posted at 7:15 p.m. a flash flood warning for southeastern Larimer County, northeastern Boulder County and Southwestern Weld County. Forecasters said another 2 inches of rain was possible and flooding was likely along U.S. Highway 287 in the Loveland and Berthoud areas.
A separate flood warning was issued for the Cache La Poudre River near Greeley. The river was staging over its 8-foot limit.
The weather service said 4 more inches of rain is expected over the Thompson River drainage into the early morning Friday.
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Flooding was possible in southern Greeley, Longmont, southwestern Loveland, Evans, Firestone, Johnstown, Milliken, Berthoud, Mead, Platteville, Lyons and Gilcrest.
Jamestown was hard hit by a downpour, with more than an inch of rain in an hour’s time.
The Red Cross announced that an evacuation shelter has been opened at the Berthoud Community Center.
Earlier Thursday, at least three tornadoes were reported in Elbert County near Simla, according to the National Weather Service.
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One of the twisters, reported about 5:30 p.m. was about 2 miles west of Simla and was heading south at about 10 mph, said Frank Cooper, meteorologist with the weather service.
Elbert County officials said at least five homes were damaged in the area.
