Denver sees twister, loses power and trees

updated 10:36 a.m. ET July 21, 2009

DENVER - More than 50,000 homes and businesses lost power in the Denver area after a powerful storm brought high winds, heavy rain and hail.

Thunderstorms and a weak tornado rolled through Monday night, leaving broken windows, downed power lines and uprooted trees.

The National Weather Service says the storm dropped about an inch of rain in less than 30 minutes in west Denver. Winds reached 60 mph.

Forecasters say a tornado briefly touched down in the southwest Denver area after 11 p.m. Monday, but no damage was reported.

Minor injuries were reported in the west Denver suburb of Wheat Ridge. Fallen trees and power lines were still blocking streets there on Tuesday morning, when Xcel Energy said 27,000 customers were still without electricity.

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