Tornadoes reported in Colorado as severe weather threatens the Midwest

Multiple tornadoes were reported to have touched down in Colorado on Sunday as part of a severe storm system that was expected to bring strong winds and golf-ball-size hail to parts of the Midwest.

In central Colorado, there were multiple reported tornadoes in rural communities outside of Denver, said Greg Heavener, a forecaster for the National Weather Service.

There were reports of damage but the extent of it was not immediately known, he said.

Multiple reported tornadoes were also spotted in Elbert County, which is southeast of Denver.

The storms caused varying levels of damage to 19 homes, said Kara Gerczynski, the public information officer for Elizabeth Fire Rescue. Many residents were without power Sunday evening, she added.

Videos posted on social media showed funnel clouds tearing through neighborhoods in Colorado, some of which leveled homes and left behind scattered debris.

A funnel cloud near Bennett, Colorado, was visible from Denver International Airport, which had a momentary ground delay. A funnel cloud was spotted about 15 miles south of the airport.

The severe weather is expected to last through today, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. The forecast is potentially for “all severe hazards,” including hail larger than golf balls, strong winds and tornadoes.

The risk is spread across a broad slice of the middle of the country, but is focused over the south and central Great Plains and the northern High Plains on Sunday, and then the central Plains into Missouri on Monday.

The latest storm threat comes as the Midwest and the Northeast are still recovering from a spate of deadly storms that generated several strong tornadoes on Friday.

In Missouri and Kentucky alone, tornadoes killed more than two dozen people, officials said. A rare dust storm swept across central Illinois and into Chicago.

The severe weather is hitting at a time when the weather service is facing staffing shortages after the Trump administration ordered cuts. Nearly 600 people have departed through layoffs and retirements.

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