First Major Storm System of the Season Hits the Northeastern Plains

The first set of severe weather for the season hit all counties in Northeast Colorado on Wednesday afternoon. The Denver metro area experienced a 2-hour ground stop at Denver International Airport earlier in the afternoon, due to the weather. Then the storms popped up around 4pm (MDT) on the plains and didn’t let up until later in the evening.

The first severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for Weld and Morgan counties, as within a 15-minute timeframe the skies went from clear to stormy. The heavy rains and strong wind gusts hit all at once, as visibility was low due to heavy downpours in Fort Morgan, New Raymer and Weldona, and the wind gusts kicked up quick as well. The Fort Morgan Airport reported 64mph winds, as the gusts caused downed power lines and trees. At 5:05pm the Morgan County Rural Electric Association reported multiple outages in the region, as many experienced power blips throughout the afternoon. Outages were reported at the Iliff and Crook substations, as the storms tracked eastward into Logan & Washington Counties, with reports of hail in many spots up to half-dollar in size. The Brush area reported some damage, but mainly lots of debris scattered around the city.

The airport in Akron reported a 63mph wind gust, with heavy rains and lightning. As 5pm became 6pm the system grew in size, but was moving fast at about 60mph, as it moved through Yuma and Phillips Counties. Severe weather alerts were issued along the storm track, as law enforcement reported that trees had toppled onto 2 homes in the Holyoke area.

The system moved out of Logan County and into Sedgewick County as the 7 o’clock hour ticked ahead. The Wray area witnessed strong winds and rains as the system moved through. Northern and southern Yuma County had severe weather warnings issued until 7:30pm, with severe weather in Cheyenne & Kit Carson counties also.

By that time all the warnings in the region expired, as did the severe weather watches for everyone. The storms went north and east into the panhandle of Nebraska & into Kansas. Skies cleared out as the winds tapered off throughout the overnight hours.

There is only a 20% chance of storms for Thursday, as conditions should calm down for the next couple of days.