Thunderstorms hit the Denver area with a fury Thursday, flooding streets and underpasses and stranding drivers in stalled-out cars.
Rains and lightning also swept through southern Colorado. The U.S. Women's Open at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs was suspended because of thunder and lightning. Twenty-five players made it through the first round of golf before play was halted.
North of Denver, in Boulder County, rain unleashed mudslides down mountainsides where a wildfire last fall burned away trees and other vegetation. Law enforcement officials reported mud about 100 yards wide and 4 feet deep on a road west of Boulder, according to the Daily Camera.
Police and firefighters in Denver and Aurora rescued several people from cars stalled in high water around rush hour. Manhole covers were floating in the rushing water and power lines were down, Aurora police said.
The National Weather Service said up to 2 inches fell in less than an hour in the northeast Denver area. Flights at Denver International Airport were delayed for more than an hour.
In Colorado Springs, lightning knocked out power for an hour in part of the city. Lightning also ignited a small fire at a house in Fountain, according to The Gazette. There were no reports of injuries.
Xcel Energy Inc. reported 28,000 customers in the Denver area lost power Thursday afternoon from the storms. A recorded message from company spokesman Mark Stutz reports power had been restored to all but 9,000 customers by 11 p.m.
Stutz said extra crews were working through the night to restore service, but the company expects power won't be restored to everyone until about 9 a.m. Friday.
The outages were caused by downed wires and branches and trees that had fallen on power lines, Stutz said.
Heavy rains also fell in southern Colorado.