DENVER — Severe thunderstorms brought rain and hail to the Denver metro area Wednesday afternoon, and at least one tornado to the Eastern Plains.
Colorado's first tornado watch of 2023 was in effect for the northeastern quadrant of the state, including most of the Denver metro area and part of the Eastern Plains. The watch was in effect until 9 p.m. Wednesday.
A tornado was spotted in the Morgan County area of eastern Colorado just before 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Tornado warnings were also issued for suburban counties west, south and east of Denver Wednesday afternoon. Those warnings were allowed to expire.
Large hail was reported in locations across the south Denver metro area as the storms moved through Wednesday afternoon. Slushy gravel-sized hail also coated roads and yards across the area.
Dozens of flights have been canceled and hundreds more delayed at Denver International Airport due to the storms. Travelers should check their flight status before heading to the airport Wednesday.
Jeffco Public Schools canceled all after school athletics and activities Wednesday evening.
In eastern Colorado, Strasburg saw so much hail they had to bring out the snowplows.
YOUR PHOTOS: Hail hammers Denver area, eastern plains
Northern Colorado was already dealing with cleanup from severe weather, after severe storms with hail and lightning hit the region late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Showers and storms continue overnight through early Thursday morning. There will be a break in the action in Denver between 11 a.m. through the mid afternoon, but conditions will still be dreary.
The storms continue for the Eastern Plains with potentially another round of severe storms, especially in areas that border Nebraska and Kansas.
There will be one last surge of heavy rainfall overnight in Denver from Thursday into Friday before this system finally pushes eastward, leaving us with more isolated showers during the day on Friday under mostly cloudy skies.
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