South Dakota was the center of weather extremes Sunday, with a tornado injuring at least nine people in a small town on the eastern side of the state and more than a foot of snow blanketing the Black Hills to the west.
Several Great Plains and Midwest states were in the path of severe weather, including Texas, where the National Weather Service said a likely tornado damaged roofs and trees near Denton. At the same time, a tropical storm came ashore in the Carolinas and wintry weather also affected parts of Colorado.
Tropical Storm Ana made landfall near Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Sunday morning and was downgraded to a tropical depression by Sunday afternoon. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were clocked at 35 mph as it moved over eastern North Carolina on Sunday night.
In South Dakota, National Weather Service meteorologist Philip Schumacher said law enforcement reported a tornado about 10:45 a.m. Sunday in Delmont, about 90 miles from Sioux Falls. South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, touring the damage there, said nine people were injured but none of the injuries was life threatening.
South Dakota Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Kristi Turman said about 20 buildings were damaged and the town was left with no water, power or phone service.
“One side of town was taken away,” said Delmont resident Anita Mathews, adding that a large Lutheran church had been heavily damaged as well as a new fire hall.
The tornado flattened a home near the entrance to town. Across the street, 87-year-old Walter Stoebner said his house was damaged.
“It sucked the window out of the living room, frame and everything,” Stoebner said. “It was just one big bang, and that was it. It didn’t last long.”
In North Texas, a likely tornado ripped roofs off buildings and damaged trees near Denton, about 40 miles northwest of Dallas, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Tom Bradshaw.
About 100 miles west of Fort Worth, people in the sparsely populated ranching and farming community of Cisco were left to clean up from Saturday’s tornado that left one person dead and another in critical condition.
The National Weather Service said that tornado was rated an EF-3, with winds ranging from 136 to 165 mph. At least six buildings were damaged south of Cisco, as well as six others near Lake Leon, Truitt said.
A strong line of storms moved through the Dallas-Fort Worth area Sunday morning, forcing significant delays and a total of 100 flight cancellations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport.
Forecasters issued tornado watches through Sunday evening for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska and Minnesota.
Farther north, late-season snow fell in parts of the Rockies, western Nebraska and western South Dakota.
National Weather Service meteorologist Kyle Carstens said between 10 to 18 inches of snow was on the ground Sunday morning in the Black Hills, and totals could reach 20-24 inches by the time the system moves out. Rapid City, S.D., had 8-11 inches, accompanied by 20-30 mph winds.
Nearly 18 inches of snow fell in southern Colorado. The state also saw hail, flooding and tornado warnings over the weekend.
About the Author
