Residents in Southern California found themselves digging out from under multiple inches of hail after scattered showers and thunderstorms walloped the area.
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Ron Allen, an employee with the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade, and other employees dig out of hail drifts at the arcade in Manitou Springs, Colo., Monday, July 23, 2018. A storm dropped hail and caused flash flood and tornado warnings for the area. (Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette via AP) |
By Amir Vera, CNN
Folks in Southern Colorado could be seen shoveling, yes shoveling, hail off their property Monday.
The region was slammed with hail, heavy rain and flooding over the weekend and into Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
The
flooding led the government of Manitou Springs City, about 80 miles
southwest of Denver, to close offices and advise residents to evacuate
to higher ground. An evacuation center opened at a community church.
One
highway in Teller County, about 100 miles southwest of Denver, was
covered with 3 feet of mud, the county's Sheriff's office said in a
tweet Monday. Mudslides had been reported in other areas of the state as
well.
[post_ads]Denver International Airport was at a full ground stop Monday afternoon because of the severe weather, according to CNN affiliate KMGH-TV, and power outages were reported because of the weather system as well.
The El Paso County Sheriff's Office alerted residents about flash flooding on Twitter.
"Residents
near Fountain Creek are urged to be aware of rising waters and seek
high ground. DO NOT ENTER FLOOD WATERS ON FOOT OR IN A VEHICLE," the
tweet read.
CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said the region was
walloped with 1 to 3 inches of rain. That's more than the normal
rainfall for this time of year in southern Colorado, he said.
"The ground was also soggy from rainfall from the previous rainfall they have had," he said.
Thunderstorms
are possible throughout the week, the NWS states. The best chance for
widespread storms will be Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. The main
threats from this system include heavy downpours, small hail and 45 mph
wind gusts. There will be a potential for flash flooding each day, the
NWS said.
CNN's Amanda Jackson and Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to this report.
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