U.S. hit with a weird combination of fire, water and ice
Storm chasers get ahead of a tornado in Mapleton, Iowa, on Friday.
April 11th, 2011
12:32 PM ET

U.S. hit with a weird combination of fire, water and ice

Hailstones covered a beach in Southern California over the weekend; tornadoes tore up a small town in Iowa; residents of Fargo, North Dakota, escaped a flood threat; and West Texas is battling the biggest wildfire outbreak in its history.

Yes, it’s spring in America.

The crazy weather is expected to continue today, with record temperatures predicted along the East Coast. Highs will top 80 as far north as Philadelphia, and it will feel like summer in the South. But an advancing cold front will set off a line of potentially severe storms from Texas to the Great Lakes, according to the National Weather Service. That line will head east into the evening.

Residents of Newport Beach, California, were soaking in a Jacuzzi, enjoying an unseasonably cool night, when the skies opened up, CNN affiliate KTLA reports.

At first they thought they were being pelted by raindrops, but it stung. The hail-snow combo covered the sand with icy pellets - and was the first time many residents had seen snow on the beach.

The small town of Mapleton, Iowa, was heavily damaged by a tornado Saturday night, but no deaths were reported. About 60% of Mapleton was damaged or destroyed, an official told KETV. The tornado leveled about 12 blocks on the southwest side of town.

Flooding was the issue farther north as the Red River threatened a repeat of the devastating floods of the past two springs in Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, according to KXJB.

The Red River crested at nearly 41 feet in 2009, but residents are breathing a sigh of relief Monday as the river recedes after cresting at just under 40 feet. Meanwhile, more than 600 members of the National Guard are helping out in other parts of the state that experienced flooding.

In West Texas, the Rock House fire burned at least 60 structures in and around Fort Davis and knocked out power to the community, according to KWES. Fort Davis schools were closed Monday. Another grass fire, dubbed the Hickman fire, burned about 40 buildings, including homes, in Midland County. And two large fires are burning near Alpine in northern Brewster County.

Post by:
Filed under: California • Iowa • North Dakota • Texas • Tornadoes • U.S. • Weather
soundoff (101 Responses)
  1. Beavis

    Fire..!Fire... .!

    April 11, 2011 at 12:59 pm | Report abuse |
    • Zach

      All we need is earth and heart and we can summon captain planet!

      April 11, 2011 at 1:59 pm | Report abuse |
    • Lance

      We already have earth you dummy. We're kinda on it. Anyway, Go Planet!!!

      April 11, 2011 at 2:20 pm | Report abuse |
    • aj

      WITH YOUR POWERS COMBINED...I AM CAPTAIN PLANET! LMAO

      April 11, 2011 at 2:55 pm | Report abuse |
    • Mark

      those headlines remind me of something ....let's see..what was it? Oh yeah.."I saw hail and fire mixed with blood and it was thrown down on the earth...."

      April 11, 2011 at 3:51 pm | Report abuse |
    • commonsense

      Yeah, Bible quotes can explain everything. /rollseyes

      April 11, 2011 at 4:31 pm | Report abuse |
    • Zacula

      What kind of a power is heart anyhoo? I mean, I'd kind of like being able to spread compassion with a magic ring, but when your opponent is any corporation that engages in pollution and for some reason random pollution related super-villains, it's kind of a useless ability.

      April 11, 2011 at 4:45 pm | Report abuse |
    • SoCalGuy

      You forgot about the snow in Las Vegas this weekend.

      April 11, 2011 at 5:22 pm | Report abuse |
    • S1N

      @Mark – Fire isn't being thrown at the earth. We're also missing the blood part. I admit, it would be pretty awesome if the sky started raining blood for no apparent reason. Your Bible quotes are irrelevant. Your Jesus is nothing more than a straight rip-off of many other Roman and Greek gods, and his entire religion (and Judaism) is a ripped-off mix of Greeks, Romans, pagan beliefs, and Zoroastrianism. Your god is a fraud, get over it.

      April 11, 2011 at 8:42 pm | Report abuse |
    • Kimberly

      The weather sucks everywhere mostly in Ohio ...

      April 12, 2011 at 2:18 am | Report abuse |
    • fred

      You cannot yell "FIRE!" in a crowded state of Texas.

      April 26, 2011 at 3:43 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Butthead

    Boioioioioig!

    April 11, 2011 at 1:00 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Joseph

    ahhhhh im scared!!! somebody help us please!!!
    stop the fires!!!

    April 11, 2011 at 1:00 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Mary Swanson

    This isn't news the united states has the most diverse climate in the world we literally have a little of every enviormental region

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kJGachsPnk

    April 11, 2011 at 1:02 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Clarise

    shut up.
    its scary ok?!

    April 11, 2011 at 1:03 pm | Report abuse |
    • Dj Pauly D

      yeah dawg

      April 11, 2011 at 1:50 pm | Report abuse |
  6. joe doe

    hit football size hail to Alam Simpson's home (R-wyo) and the entire state of Wisconsin to punish Paul Ryan R-Wisconsin who tried t ruin our economy, jobs, etc. Laid off teachers is wrong. I hope more hail to hit all wealthy Republician voters homes too!

    April 11, 2011 at 1:21 pm | Report abuse |
    • JBHedgehog

      Although your grammar is kind of screwy, it sounds like your channeling some sort of Westboro Baptist Church thing. Interesting.

      April 11, 2011 at 3:02 pm | Report abuse |
    • leeintulsa

      You do realize that raises everyone's insurance rates, right?

      April 11, 2011 at 4:42 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Papa John

    I feel an Earth, Wind and Fire song coming on.

    April 11, 2011 at 1:28 pm | Report abuse |
    • Joseph

      No,Carol King

      April 11, 2011 at 3:34 pm | Report abuse |
  8. ר֫וּחַ

    Sounds like three of the four watch towers have broken their seals.

    April 11, 2011 at 1:37 pm | Report abuse |
    • JBHedgehog

      Seals???

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWhOU5iUzKY

      April 11, 2011 at 3:05 pm | Report abuse |
    • scranton

      ....or it's spring time weather as usual.

      April 11, 2011 at 5:56 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Dj Pauly D

    Real talk this stuff be giving me goosebumps down me.....

    April 11, 2011 at 1:51 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Katie

    You mean mother nature has provided us with weather?? How dare her... Really, every storm these days is cause for panic and state government calling it a natural disaster. Guess what people, get used to it. Weather changes from season to season and often, day to day... Quit your griping and deal with it.

    April 11, 2011 at 1:52 pm | Report abuse |
    • Brad

      Yep, and as the human population grows and our cities expand, they will seem worse and worse because they will hit us more and more.

      April 11, 2011 at 2:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • GrammerN

      It's "she"... "How dare SHE"... not "her"...

      April 11, 2011 at 3:43 pm | Report abuse |
  11. YesWeDoCare

    I hate to say it since this weather stuff is affecting folks lives. But, I got a huge laugh out of Joe Doe's comment about Paul Ryan. ; -) I have to say, a little bit of huge chunks of hail hitting Ryan's house wouldn't really be a bad thing. Just as long as no one is hurt. But the house (and his cars) getting decimated would be fun to see.....

    James

    April 11, 2011 at 2:09 pm | Report abuse |
    • American Idiot

      I bet Beavis and Butthead will agree that it's fun to see stuff break.

      April 11, 2011 at 2:13 pm | Report abuse |
  12. American Idiot

    The headline might as well read "Come on HAARP Weirdos, Come Out of the Woodwork"

    April 11, 2011 at 2:11 pm | Report abuse |
    • Yes

      Yes. Just yes.

      April 11, 2011 at 2:40 pm | Report abuse |
  13. Joey

    A LITTLE SPRING SONG
    Fire, water, and ice
    (strum)
    All would be so nice
    (strum)
    If my baby's father
    (drum roll)
    Jes come home! Ohhh,
    I-I-I say,
    Fire, water, ice, yeah,
    Fire, water, ice, oh yeah,
    Fire and water and ice
    All come in the spring! Uh, oh, uh uh uh...

    April 11, 2011 at 2:25 pm | Report abuse |
  14. banasy

    Oh, we had the most hellacious t-storms sweep through last night! It was so beautiful here yesterday, sunny and 83 degrees...then we saw the storm clouds start rolling in, and the color of the *air* was a weird green-pink...yep, it's finally spring!

    April 11, 2011 at 2:38 pm | Report abuse |
  15. Joey

    Hello, banasy.

    April 11, 2011 at 2:40 pm | Report abuse |
1 2 3 4 5