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Snow in September? Severe storm brings hail, snow to Colorado

Golf ball-sized hail slammed the Denver area Monday, and a severe weather system brought snow to mountain ski areas in Colorado
Severe hail and snow hit Colorado 00:23

DENVER -- Some people in Colorado are cleaning up after hail piled up like snow in some areas.

In western Colorado, the National Weather Service says several people reported golf-ball size hail near Pagosa Springs on Monday.

The system that brought the unusual early fall weather to Colorado is headed for the Midwest, where officials have issued warnings about severe thunderstorms across the Great Plains.

Quarter-sized hail piled up like snow in Greenwood Village while the unsettled weather led to a tornado watch for 14 counties.

Monday's raging storm damaged more than 500 cars and shattered windows at the Hyundai dealership in Arapahoe.

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This photo provided by local resident Joe Macauley shows large pellets of frozen rain are collected in the streets of Greenwood Village suburb of Denver, Colo., Monday, Sept. 29, 2014. AP Photo/Joe Macauley

"Never seen anything like it. Only thing close would be a tornado," employee Eric Risch told CBS Denver. "Quarter-sized hail just ripping through the air."

"Wind started coming in and all of a sudden it looked like it was snowing in September," sales manager Ray Saccomano said. "What kind of pressure do you need to do something like this? A lot of pressure."

Though Denver did not get much more than heavy rain, areas all around the city like Northglenn, Thornton, Aurora also saw intense hail from the storm system.

Actual snow fell in the mountains, shutting down Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park.

More snow is in the forecast for parts of the mountains Tuesday.

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