Cleanup Under Way In Parts Of Metro Area After Storms

DENVER (CBS4) - Power is back on for thousands of people after monsoon rains swept across the state on Thursday and caused problems in the Denver area.

Statistics from the National Weather Service showed that Denver received between 1 and 3 inches of rain on Thursday. The highest reading -- 2.99 inches -- was at a rain gauge at City Park. At the official monitoring station at Denver International Airport the reading was betweek 1.04 and 2.4 inches.

There were stll approximately 1,600 customers without power in the metro area Friday morning, according to Xcel Energy. The utility was working to restore power to those customers in the early morning.

PHOTO GALLERY: Thursday Storm Photo Gallery

Rain piled up on the city and surrounding areas Thursday afternoon, stranding some cars and causing major traffic headaches. At 38th and Fox there were some tense moments as a taxi and another car got caught in rising water in the underpass. CBS4 video showed the vehicles getting submerged up to their windshields. The drivers called 911 and were stuck for a short time in their vehicles.

They were able to escape without getting injured.

Early Friday morning streetlights were out at some intersections but Denver police said they were working to get those fixed quickly.

The winds that came with the rain knocked down several trees in the Denver area. One large maple came down at 6th and Ogden and damaged the front of the business on the property. Crews started chopping up the tree Thursday night but weren't able to finish the job before dark.

Metro area road crews will be out Friday fixing areas where the roads were damaged in the heavy rain and street flooding. At 38th and Sheridan CBS4 shot video of a manhole that popped up several inches into the roadway. It was forced out of its foundation by the heavy water pressure.

The Cherry Creek bike path was deluged with rushing water Thursday. It's rare to see the water flowing as high as it was on Thursday.

All the high water had receded by early Friday morning.

With the heavy rain there was some buildup of debris in the burn area in Fourmile Canyon west of Boulder, where the Fourmile Fire scorched 169 homes last fall. One road was covered by a 100 yard long mudslide, but there was no major damage.