(AP) — South Dakota was the center of weather extremes Sunday, with a tornado hitting a small town on the eastern side of the state and more than a foot of snow blanketing the Black Hills to the west.
It was among several Great Plains and Midwest states in the path of expected severe weather. 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, South Carolina, on Sunday morning and was downgraded to a tropical depression by Sunday afternoon. The storm’s maximum sustained winds were at 35 mph, and it was expected to move 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. Delmont Fire Chief Elmer Goehring told The Associated Press that there “have been some injuries,” and Avera Health spokeswoman Lindsey Meyers said three people were in good condition at a local hospital. No deaths were reported.
South Dakota Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Kristi Turman said about 20 buildings were damaged and the town has no water, power or phones.
“One side of town was taken away,” Delmont resident Anita Mathews told the AP. She said a large Lutheran church had been heavily damaged as well as a new fire hall.
In North Texas, sparsely populated ranching and farming communities were left to clean up from Saturday’s tornadoes that left one person dead and another in critical condition, authorities said. Cisco Fire Department spokesman Phillip Truitt said the two people were near each other.
The National Weather Service said Sunday that the Cisco tornado was rated an EF-3, with winds ranging from 136 to 165 mph. At least six buildings were damaged south of Cisco, which is about 100 miles west of Fort Worth, 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, a 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, South Dakota, had 8-11 inches, accompanied by 20-30 mph winds.
Nearly 18 inches of snow fell in southern Colorado, a state that also saw hail, flooding and tornado warnings over the weekend.
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Associated Press writers Jeff Baenen in Minneapolis and Nomaan Merchant in Dallas contributed to this report.
(AP) —
2:50 p.m.
South Dakota Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Kristi Turman says residents of Delmont being asked to leave for safety reasons.
Turman says about 20 buildings are damaged and the town has no water, power or phones. She says there are unsecured propane tanks.
The tornado flattened a home near the entrance to Delmont. About three-dozen people were helping the homeowner, who would not talk to an Associated Press reporter.
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.”
Some cow carcasses were piled up near a farm in Delmont, having either died in the tornado or hurt and later euthanized.
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The Latest News From The Areas Hit By Severe Weather
1:30 p.m.
The National Weather Service has issued tornado watches in several Midwest and Great Plains states through Sunday evening.
Watches have been issued for central and North Texas, central Oklahoma, western Arkansas, western Iowa, eastern Nebraska, central Missouri and parts of Minnesota and South Dakota.
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1:25 p.m.
A spokeswoman for a South Dakota hospital says that three people who were injured in the Delmont tornado are in good condition at Avera St. Benedict Health Center in Parkston.
Avera spokeswoman Lindsey Meyers said all three people either drove themselves or were driven.
It wasn’t known how many more people were injured in the tornado, which hit about 10:45 a.m. Sunday.
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12:35 p.m.
Delmont fire chief Elmer Goehring says there “have been some injuries” from the tornado in Delmont, South Dakota, but told The Associated Press that he was too busy to provide details.
Delmont resident Anita Mathews says a Lutheran church and the city’s new fire hall were both heavily damaged in the tornado, which hit about 10:45 a.m. Sunday.
Mathews also says power is out in the town, which is about 90 miles southwest of Sioux Falls.
No deaths have been reported.
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12:15 p.m.
South Dakota Department of Public Safety spokesman Tony Mangan says there have been no reports of injuries after a tornado hit the small town of Delmont.
Mangan said local authorities asked for help from the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management.
The National Weather Service said a tornado hit Delmont about 10:45 a.m. Sunday. No deaths have been reported.
Delmont is about 90 miles southwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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11:15 a.m.
The National Weather Service has received reports of a tornado hitting a small southern South Dakota town.
Meteorologist Philip Schumacher at the service’s Sioux Falls office says law enforcement officials said a tornado hit Delmont about 10:45 a.m. Sunday.
Delmont has about 200 residents and is about 90 miles southwest of Sioux Falls.
Schumacher said no deaths have been reported and it wasn’t known whether there were injuries. He said a couple buildings have been damaged.
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11 a.m.
The National Weather Service has issued tornado watches in several Midwest and Great Plains states, running until 9 p.m. Sunday in many places.
Watches have been issued for north and central Texas, eastern Oklahoma, western Arkansas, western Iowa, eastern Nebraska and parts of Minnesota and South Dakota.