Hail storms like you've never seen: The jaw-dropping pictures of devastating storm that smashed cars and blocked roads

These amazing pictures show the devastation caused by massive hail storms which have swept through Colorado and Wyoming this week.



Destructive hailstones coated the ground so thickly that the landscape appeared to be covered in snow, KOAA reported.



Stunned residents took to Facebook and Twitter to share their photos of the bizarre weather, which blocked roads and left some cars almost totally submerged.



One picture in particular tugged at many heartstrings when it was posted by KDVR - a touching snapshot of a dog which sought shelter from the torrential downpour in a trash can.



Inundated: Colorado was hit with so much hail that some cars were left almost completely submerged

Destruction: Huge hail stones battered buildings and damaged car windshields

Touching: This picture of a dog forced to seek shelter in a trash can touched hundreds of web users

The hail downpour was part of a powerful storm system that rolled through parts of Colorado and Wyoming on Thursday, packing heavy rains, high winds and hail.



The storms followed a round of nasty late spring weather that pummeled the region.



Preliminary reports show Colorado was hit by 10 tornadoes during the past two days.



The storms came at the peak time for such severe weather in the state. Severe thunderstorms normally become less common later in the month and in early July until summer monsoons start developing.



Surreal: The streets were completely impassable as cars were stranded in the rising drifts of hail



Amazing: The hail was piled up so much that it looked like snow in many areas

Extensive: The hail settled on the ground so thickly that it became almost impossible to walk

At least seven homes were damaged in Elbert County on the plains southeast of Denver.



County officials said two homes lost roofs and others had broken windows but the total damage was still being assessed.



Laura Van Why said she and her husband Dennis, their 2-year-old son and two dogs hid under the stairs of their basement while the storm passed near Kiowa, Colorado.



'It felt like forever,' Mrs Van Why said. 'It was like, "Black out the windows."'



Massive: The state was assailed by hail stones the size of golf balls, as this picture shows

Beautiful: But it is these unusual clouds which are responsible for the destructive storms in Colorado

Forecaster Jerry Claycomb, from the National Weather Service in Cheyenne, said the same factors created the storms in both states.



A low-pressure system stalled over northern Colorado and against the Laramie Range mountains southeast of Casper. That pulled up low-level moisture from the Gulf of Mexico from the southeast.



High-level westerly winds combined with low-level southeasterly winds to create what Mr Claycomb called 'shear,' which he said amounts to a turning in the atmosphere.

