GREELEY, Colo. – Severe thunderstorms dumped significant amounts of large hail across northern Colorado communities on Tuesday night as storms led to localized flooding and overnight road closures.
Residents in Greeley, Evans and Johnstown awoke to what looked like the remnants of a winter storm, but the white covering the ground was hail still blanketing the ground.
“This morning, just to open the front door, it was piled up,” said Greeley resident Alvin Roybal. “What did it sound like? Just like ice cubes hitting the house I mean over and over.”
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Boulder triggered severe thunderstorm warnings late Tuesday night for the area warning of widespread hail.
‘The combination of significant accumulated hail and ongoing moderate to locally heavy rainfall is leading to street flooding in the Greeley area,’ said the NWS, which issued a flood advisory until midnight and later a flash flood warning into the overnight hours.
Weather forecasters said golf ball-sized hail pounded the area.
“You start praying,” added Roybal. “Pretty scary. I don’t scare too easily but things like that – like the world’s ready to end.”
The communities of Eaton and Windsor were also pounded by large hail with around 1,000 customers reporting power outages, most of which were restored Wednesday morning.
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The NWS reported 1.75” diameter hail in downtown Johnston and shared video of motorists caught in the storm along US 34 and Weld County Rd 17. ‘treacherous driving conditions with abundant accumulating hail’, said the NWS on social media.
Denver7 reporter Adria Iraheta surveyed the storm’s aftermath in Greeley on Wednesday morning and said many trees were stripped of leaves, which along with the hail, piled up on neighborhood streets.
A temporary shelter was opened in the Greeley Family FunPlex due to flooding as the city reported several road closures including on 8th street between US 85 and US 49.
‘Stay clear of downtown if possible,’ said the City of Greeley on social media.
At around 6 a.m. Wednesday, the city said the following roads were still closed.
- 16th Street between US 85 and 7th Ave.
- 6th Ave. between 16th Street to 13th Street.
Greeley added: ‘All other roads are open and clear.”
The Active Adult Center in Greeley remained closed on Wednesday due to flooding.
The City of Greeley is asking residents to report storm damage at this link as officials survey Tuesday's storm impacts.
Northern Colorado will again be under the gun Wednesday for potential strong to severe storms, which are likely to form between 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. along the plains and between 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. along the I-25 corridor, according to the NWS.
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A classic springtime storm pattern will again bring the threat of large hail and isolated localized flooding.
“We’ve got another round of potentially larger hail and damaging winds across portions of northeastern Colorado,” said Denver7 Meteorologist Lisa Hidalgo.
Denver metro and communities stretching north to Fort Collins and down to Colorado Springs are under a marginal threat of a severe storm on Wednesday. Communities pounded by severe weather on Tuesday and other cities including Limon, Sterling and Akron are under a slight threat of a severe storm.
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