Weather along the Front Range and onto the plains took a wild twist Tuesday, with a couple of landspouts touching down, lightning strikes and widespread hail.
Residents of a section of Weld County were under a tornado warning, and two landspouts briefly touched down before quickly dissipating, according to the National Weather Service.
“It was a pretty quick spinout,” said Ayesha Wilkinson, a meteorologist with the weather service.
Wilkinson said two separate landspouts, part of the same weather system, were spotted and briefly touched down.
“It was in the same area, part of the same storm,” Wilkinson said. There were no immediate reports of damage.
The warning area included Keenesburg and Roggen along Interstate 76 as well as Prospect Valley just south of the highway.
The warning was in effect until 3:45 p.m., according to the weather service in Boulder.
Tornado Warning including Keenesburg CO, Prospect Valley CO and Roggen CO until 3:00 PM MDT
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder)
A “brief landspout/weak tornado” developed in the area but dissipated. Afternoon landspouts were possible across a large swath of the western Denver metro area, including Aurora and Denver International Airport. Landspouts, unlike tornados, form from the ground up instead of stretching from the clouds to the ground. Landspouts are capable of producing damaging high winds.
The weather service issued a warning effective until 4 p.m. about the possibility of landspouts and hail in the region and advised people to seek shelter.
A special weather statement has been issued for Aurora CO and Denver Intl Airport CO until 4:00 PM MDT
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder)
Colorado sees an average of 27 tornadoes during May and June, with June being the busiest month with an average of 17 tornadoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In Arvada, a lightning strike hit a home in the 9200 block of Blanca Street, according to the Arvada Fire Protection District.
— Arvada Fire (@ArvadaFire)
People inside the home got out safely and firefighters doused the residential fire in the Candelas area.
Hail was widespread Tuesday afternoon and pea-size hail was reported in Arvada and on the plains, including the Keenesburg area.
The stormy weather contributed to delays at Denver International Airport. There were 142 delays and 24 canceled flights at the airport between 4 and 8 p.m., according to flightware.com.
The weather service posted a flood advisory for a portion of southwest Weld County until 10:15 p.m. Tuesday. The area includes Fort Lupton, Lochbuie, and Hudson.
“Additional rainfall amounts up to 1 inch are expected over the area,” the weather service said in a 7:15 p.m. tweet. “This additional rain will result in minor flooding.”
Rain, with periods of heavy rain, is expected overnight into Wednesday morning in areas of northeastern Colorado. Snow is possible and roads could be slick for the morning commute.
Denver7 contributed to this report.
