Mother Nature on Mother's Day: Tornadoes, tropical storm, snow

Severe rain, wind, hail and tornadoes blasted the the nation's midsection, some areas saw snow and a tropical storm roared into South Carolina as Mother Nature rocked much of the nation on Mother's Day.

The National Weather Service said a likely tornado caused damage near Denton, Texas, about 40 miles northwest of Dallas, Sunday afternoon.

Meteorologist Tom Bradshaw said roofs were ripped off buidlings and trees were damaged. National Guard troops were dispatched to rescue people from flood waters near Krum, Texas, just west of Denton, WTVT-TV reported.

In South Dakota, a morning tornado tore through the rural southeastern town of Delmont, damaging more than a dozen buildings and prompting evacuation of the town's 200-plus residents, the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls reported.

South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard said nine people were injured. None of the injuries was life threatening, he said.

South Dakota Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Kristi Turman said about 20 buildings were damaged and the town has no water, power or phones. The town was evacuated, authorities said.

"Our house is flat. There is nothing left," said Stephanie Lunder, 34, of Delmont.

"What a Mother's Day ... tornado hit down just missed our home but hit my daughter in laws home in Delmont," tweeted @Jodie_Rae8.

The tornado struck around 10:45 a.m.

"One side of the town was taken away," mini-mart owner Anita Mathews said.

In Colorado, an ambulance was swept away by rushing water, but five people managed to get out the back before the ambulance became submerged in about six feet of water.

The storms were blamed for at least one death. A person was killed Saturday night and another was in critical condition after a tornado hit Cisco, Texas, a rural farming and ranch area about 100 miles west of Fort Worth. The National Weather Service rated the tornado as an EF-3, with winds ranging from 136 to 165 mph.

Parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa also were ripe for tornadoes and large hail Sunday, the National Weather Service said. Late Saturday, one person was killed after a tornado struck a rural ranch area near Cisco, about 100 miles west of Fort Worth, WFAA-TV reported. Phillip Truitt with the Texas A&M Forest Service said three people were injured and at least eight buildings were damaged in the area.

To the west, a late-season storm was bringing heavy snow to parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado. The weather service warned of treacherous travel.

South Dakota had the worst of both worlds. While Delmont was dealing with a tornado, Rapid City to the west was absorbing a foot of snow and 30 mph winds.

The Denver metro area was slammed with 4-8 inches of heavy, wet snow. Parts of western North Dakota and South Dakota would see almost 2 feet of snow before the storm moves out on Monday, AccuWeather senior meteorologist Dan Pydynowski told USA TODAY.

He said the powerful wintry storm sweeping west across the nation was being squeezed by a large, warm air mass coming up from Mexico. Hence, meteorological unrest.

"It's an unstable time of year for weather, so it's not atypical for South Dakota to get blasted with snow on one side of the state and tornadoes on the other," Pydynowski said.

In South Carolina, Tropical Storm Ana made landfall along the South Carolina Coast on Sunday morning, becoming the first tropical system of 2015 to hit the United States. The National Hurricane Center said Ana came ashore at approximately 6 a.m. near Myrtle Beach, WLTX-TV in Columbia reported.

As it approached land and encountered some cooler waters, its winds weakened a bit. The system had maximum sustained winds of 45 miles an hour. The storm was expected to weaken further as it swept northwest, inland and toward North Carolina, Pydynowski said.

Ana will continue to weaken onshore and before moving out into the Atlantic on Monday.

"The main issue is rain," Pydynowski said. He said North Myrtle Beach was hit with about 4 inches of rain. Some flooding in the region was reported.

Contributing: Associated Press