Colorado swept by hail, tornadoes and thunderstorms

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/22/colorado-hail-storms-tornadoes-denver

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More spring thunderstorms are expected Thursday along the Front Range and eastern Colorado, a day after six tornadoes touched down east of Denver.

No significant damage was reported from the twisters, and the latest round of storms isn't expected to be as extreme or as widespread as that seen Wednesday.

Three of the tornadoes touched down in and around Aurora, while the others hit north and east of Denver, including one about 13 miles from Denver International Airport.

There weren't any tornadoes in Lafayette, north of Boulder, but some residents probably got a scare when tornado sirens mistakenly sounded around 3am Thursday. Engineers are investigating whether a software error was to blame.

Hail covered roads and grass in some parts of the Denver and Colorado Springs areas, with snow plows called out to clear runways and the access road to the airport. Golf ball-sized hail piled up 4in near Strasburg on the plains 40 miles east of Denver, the National Weather Service said.

The storms temporarily grounded flights at the airport and forced 40 flights to be diverted Wednesday. Frontier Airlines canceled some flights after six of its planes were damaged by hail. It is waiving change fees for passengers who need to rebook their flights through Thursday.

A microburst is blamed for ripping a section of metal sheeting off the roof of Castle Rock's town pool.

Lower-level winds aren't forecast to be as strong Thursday, which means any tornadoes that form will likely be more short-lived, National Weather Service meteorologist Kari Bowen said.

The chance for afternoon thunderstorms to develop will continue through Memorial Day weekend. Besides the risk of tornadoes, heavy rain could also cause flooding if the cells hit some of the areas burned by recent wildfires.