DENVER — Cleanup is underway across a 6-mile long storm damage path in Highlands Ranch after high wind, hail and a confirmed tornado wreaked havoc Thursday afternoon.
Storm damage was also reported in other parts of the Denver metro and Front Range after another round of severe weather dropped large hail and damaging winds.
The first reports of severe weather began around 3 p.m. with an ominous alert from the National Weather Service in Boulder warning of “Destructive baseball-sized hail” possible for Denver, Lakewood and Littleton. “People and animals outdoors will be severely injured,” the warning continued.
Videos from Denver7 viewers showed hail dumping on parts of Morrison and across the southwest portion of the Denver metro area.
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Severe weather leaves damage in south metro Thursday
Roughly 20 minutes later, the first tornado warning was issued for Arapahoe and Douglas counties and dispatch services in the county began receiving reports of damage.
Deborah Takahara, public information director with Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, said the county had received 282 calls reporting weather damage in their neighborhoods.
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“The most damage that we have seen are trees down across roads, trees down into homes and some roofs damaged, some homes damaged, some structures damaged” said Takahara.
Thursday evening, the National Weather Service in Boulder preliminarily rated the tornado as an EF-1 based upon early analysis of damage. The Enhanced Fujita Scale ranking puts the wind gusts between 86 and 110 mph, according to the NWS.
*Preliminary* Damage Track. This is not the exact track but it should be close. Added points are damage reports we’ve received so far. Prelim length 6.3 miles. We are evaluating all photos to assign an EF-rating and may do a damage survey tomorrow if needed. #COwxpic.twitter.com/BUTlrpHCYv
DougCo’s Office of Emergency Management activated its emergency operations center to standby to take calls and support the community. DougCo sheriff’s deputies would continue to survey storm damage as recovery and cleanup efforts continued Thursday evening.
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Severe weather hits the Denver metro Thursday
Officials urged the public to stay clear of damaged areas to allow emergency crews space to respond to the cleanup.
“What we really need people to do right now is to stay off the roads. You see that traffic signals are down, traffic lights are not working properly,” said Takahara.
People can use Douglas County’s non-emergency line to report weather-related issues at 303-660-7500.
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There have been no reported injuries as of Thursday evening.
Multiple other severe weather warnings were issued, including a tornado warning for Lone Tree. But by 4 p.m., all tornado warnings were lifted.
South Metro Fire Rescue responded to dozens of calls in Highlands Ranch south of C-470 between Lucent and Quebec for storm-related damage including roof damage, trees down, natural gas leaks and electrical problems.
During the brunt of the storm, Xcel Energy reported over 9,000 customers without power around the Denver metro area, according to its outage map. By Thursday evening there were still some outages reported.
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Watch ominous clouds roll through Denver metro
Gov. Jared Polis approved a verbal declaration of disaster emergency for extreme weather related to severe weather in Lincoln, Elbert, El Paso, and Washington counties.
The declaration authorizes “the use of funds and permits the use of Special Delegation of State Controller’s Contract Signature Authority, and allows Colorado OEM to mobilize state resources, and encumber and expend these funds as determined by the Director of the OEM,”
Along with damage from large hail, high winds and the confirmed tornado, flash flood warnings were issued across eastern Colorado. A flash flood watch remains in effect for a portion of the Denver metro area until midnight.
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In the video below, you can watch coverage as the tornadic storm unfolded Thursday.
Live weather updates as hail, flooding danger returns to the Denver metro area Thursday
The Follow Up
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DENVER (KKTV) – A massive fire that tore through two Denver homes Friday may have been due to a mechanical malfunction.
The fire ignited on the side of one of the houses and quickly jumped to the neighboring home, sending a towering plume of smoke up in the air:
Fireworks caused several fires in the Denver metro Thursday night, but sister CBS Denver reports that investigators didn’t have any indication that they were a culprit in the double house fire Friday.
One of the houses was empty — its occupants out of town — while in the other, a family and their dog managed to escape. Neighbors tried to help with water hoses but told CBS Denver the fire got too big too fast.
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CBS Denver reports that the homes were heavily damaged; it’s unclear whether one or both is a total loss.
There are a lot of questions about the Denver Broncos this season.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
At least for the last almost nine seasons.
To add another to the mix, who will be the Broncos MVP this season?
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NFL.com thinks it’ll be cornerback Pat Surtain II. That’s the most likely scenario, given how good Surtain is and how many questions there are for this roster. Surtain isn’t just the best defender in Denver; he’s one of the best cornerbacks in football.
After Surtain, the race is wide open.
Much of this will depend on how good the Broncos offense is and what it looks like. One guy who should be on the list is guard Quinn Meinerz. “The Belly” has become one of the guards in the NFL. If the offense is able to run the ball and protect whoever starts, likely Bo Nix, Meinerz will play a big role in that success.
Courtland Sutton will get thrown out. But if he’s healthy, Tim Patrick is more valuable to Denver’s offense. Patrick is also the more complete receiver. Since Patrick is returning from two brutal injuries, that’s the biggest question with Patrick. Hopefully he’s able to stay on the field.
On defense, newly acquired John Franklin-Myers is a guy to watch on the defensive line. Franklin-Myers will be a key contributor to the defensive front and help lead it to any success. For his career, Franklin-Myers has 135 tackles, 61 quarterback hits and 19.5 sacks. A disruptive force from the defensive line is what this defense needs.
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The other player on defense for Denver is Baron Browning … if he can stay healthy. Consistent pressure off the edge is crucial for the Broncos defense, and Browning has the potential to be a great pass rusher. If he’s consistent, he could put himself in the Broncos MVP discussion.
Those are a few guys I think could compete with Surtain for Denver’s MVP this season. Who else could become a possibility?
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The Croatian forward found his new NBA contract while competing with his national team
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By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Croatian forward Dario Saric has agreed on a two-year, $10.6 million deal with the Denver Nuggets, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
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Deal includes player option on second-year.
Saric is currently in Greece for one of the four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments and the news came just a couple of hours after he helped his national team beat the Dominican Republic and making it to the final against the hosts.
Saric averaged 8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Warriors last season.
He was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. He joined the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016 playing two seasons for the team before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After a season with the team he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the 2019 offseason and played four seasons for them before being dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2023 trade deadline.
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The following offseason, he joined the Golden State Warriors.
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