Photos: Tornadoes,Hail And Flooding Destroy Lots Of Houses In Colorado.....

As tornadoes swept across Colorado and as powerful storms brought marble-sized hailstones and flooding to the state, dozens of houses were flattened and destroyed.
At least three properties were demolished on Thursday in the town of Berthoud, about 40 miles north of Denver.

The foul weather hindered efforts to look into reports that about 25 other homes that were damaged or destroyed by the storms.

'The rain is so heavy in that area with hail that they are not able to get more damage assessments,' he said.

The National Weather Service said the tornado was first spotted early in the evening east of Lyons.

It said at least two other tornadoes touched down in the afternoon near the tiny town of Simla, about 60 miles southeast of Denver. Elbert County officials said at least six homes were damaged there, one severely.

Mr Hodges said flooding was a concern in Larimer with pelting rain expected to continue into the night. The area is still recovering from devastating floods in 2013.

Late Thursday, a strong storm system moved north through Denver, bringing heavy rain and hail the size of quarters.

Downed trees and power lines and damaged roads were reported in several areas.

Forecasters predicted storms with heavy rains and possible flooding in scattered areas through the night.

The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency in Boulder and Larimer Counties until 4am on Friday and urged residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground and be prepared to evacuate.

Kelly Matre of Lyons Fire told Boulder's Daily Camera newspaper that 'roads are covered in water, probably 6 inches.' He said some houses had water flowing through them.

The Denver Post reported that a separate flood warning was issued for the Cache La Poudre River near Greeley. The river was staging over its eight-foot limit. 

The Weather Service said four more inches of rain is expected over the Thompson River drainage into the early morning of Friday.

Scott Oliver, who lives in northern Boulder County, told The Daily Camera he went to move his car because of hail when he saw the tornado touch down.

'It was probably on the ground two minutes,' he said. 'It was just kicking up everything. It was terrible.'