Raging winds bulldozed the Front Range Tuesday, ripping out trees, pummeling houses and causing an initial estimate of $2 million in damage for just one insurance company.

The damage to about 500 customers of State Farm Insurance is so widespread the company has called in people from its National Catastrophe team to help, said May Martinez Hendershot, spokeswoman for State Farm's six-state region.

State Farm serves a quarter of all insured Coloradans, which gives an idea of how much higher the damage figure will be when other insurers report in, she said.

And round two may be on the way for some communities. Gusty winds may return this evening and through the ringing in of the New Year, especially over the high mountain passes and Front Range foothills.

On Tuesday, the chinook wind barreled up and down the Front Range from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs. It shattered Christmas lights and sent wreaths galloping down streets. Blue spruces toppled onto automobiles, and mobile homes shook. Windshield-repair businesses are bracing for long hours.

Power outages

The wind was clocked at 111 mph as it moved through Masonville in Larimer County about 4 a.m.

That's about the same time when the howling woke Ken and Laura Correia. The gale ripped into their backyard, yanking the hot tub cover out of its screws and sending it flying across their Fort Collins lawn.

Ken Correia went outside to investigate and found part of his fence blown down, too.

But the couple knows how to roll with the punch - both Correias are Farmers Insurance agents. But the Correias don't plan to file a claim.

"I can fix it myself," Ken Correia said.

By Tuesday afternoon, the chinook winds lost their bite, and their downslope run from the mountains brought another mild day, with Denver area cities reaching their daytime highs - in the mid-50s - early.

By that time, workers were beginning to assess the downed power lines all over metro Denver.

Some 27,000 Xcel customers lost power at one point or another, mostly in the northwest and southwest metro areas.

About 30 crews were dealing with outages, many of them the result of big branches or uprooted trees falling against power lines.

By 6 p.m., fewer than 1,000 customers were without power, and the company expected everyone's power would be restored by 10 p.m., spokesman Tom Henley said.

Peak gusts reported

Figures from around the Front Range on Tuesday morning from National Weather Service observation posts:

Speed Time Location County

* 111 mph 4:00 Masonville Larimer

* 98 mph 4:42 Berthoud Larimer

* 78 mph 5:48 Broomfield Broomfield

* 86 mph 7:00 Longmont Boulder

* 87 mph 7:30 Rocky Flats Jefferson

* 72 mph 8:00 Larkspur Douglas

MORE WINDS FORECAST

The National Weather Service predicts winds gusting up to 80 mph will be possible in the foothills locations of Larimer, Boulder and Jefferson counties this evening. Gusts of 60 mph or more will be possible near the foothills and west of Interstate 25 from the Wyoming border to the western suburbs of Denver.

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