Severe storms disrupt air travel in Colorado with heavy hail and wind

On Tuesday, June 17, 2025, severe storms swept across Colorado, significantly impacting the region's weather conditions. The combination of high humidity, some sunshine, and the arrival of a cold front contributed to the development of two waves of severe weather. Early morning thunderstorms in Northern Colorado unleashed baseball-sized hail, which caused considerable damage before dawn, particularly in the Milliken area where hailstones smashed windows and dented vehicles. Consequently, this led to assessments of the affected regions to understand the extent of the damage. Following the morning storms, the afternoon brought additional severe weather that resulted in a ground delay at Denver International Airport, enforced by the Federal Aviation Administration due to unsafe flying conditions. These severe thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall that contributed to localized flooding in the Denver metropolitan area. The impact on air travel was significant, highlighting concerns about infrastructure readiness in the face of such weather phenomena. In a broader context, millions of people in central U.S. states were put on alert for dangerous weather conditions as severe thunderstorms also extended into Kansas. Here, a record-breaking wind gust of 101 mph was reported in Wichita, alongside similar threats of high winds and large hail. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center indicated that extensive regions, particularly in south-central Kansas and north-central Oklahoma, were experiencing Level 4 threats out of a five-point scale for severe thunderstorms, underlining the seriousness of the situation. As the weather system progressed, forecasts indicated that the same cold front would continue eastward, potentially hitting major cities such as Indianapolis and Chicago with severe weather conditions on Wednesday. With the forecast calling for conditional severe weather, the areas were advised to prepare for possible storms, as unstable atmospheric conditions and available storm energy in the region might contribute to the development of dangerous weather events.