Mother Nature wreaks havoc on Mother's Day

Late-season snow blankets Rockies and high Plains; Tropical Storm Ana makes landfall in S.C.

Yahoo News
Mother Nature wreaks havoc on Mother's Day

Mother Nature flexed her muscles on Mother's Day, blanketing parts of Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska with heavy spring snow and lashing the South Carolina coast with Ana, the year's first named tropical storm.

More than 6 inches of snow fell in parts of South Dakota with up to 15 inches expected in the Black Hills, making mid-May look like mid-March.


In Colorado, late-season snow blanketed the Denver metro area, presenting a challenge for the groundskeepers at Coors Field.


Additional snow was forecast for the Front Range Sunday. Heavy snow was even seen in parts of Nebraska, where more than 6 inches fell in Scottsbluff.


Meanwhile in South Carolina, Tropical Storm Ana made landfall at 6 a.m. near Myrtle Beach with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, 12-foot seas and dangerous rip currents.


"There will be periods of heavy rain and gusty winds as the rain bands move inland," the National Weather Service said, "but this will mainly be a nuisance type event as far as tropical systems go."


As expected, the storm weakened as it moved onshore. By 2 p.m., Ana was downgraded to a tropical depression about 30 miles north of Myrtle Beach.


But the most severe weather in the United States could come later Sunday, forecasters said, with potential for tornadoes and large hail stretching from the Midwest and central Plains to Texas.