A 'Highly Unusual' Triple Threat of Storms Over North America

This afternoon, it was thundersnowing in San Francisco, blizzarding in the Dakotas, and gusting furiously off the coast of New England. For this audacious weather, you can thank a trio of major storm systems aligned with military precision over North America.

This triple threat – which the National Weather Service calls "highly unusual" – illustrates the kind of violent systems that herald the arrival of spring, the beginning of the so-called tornado season. And right on schedule, today there was indeed a confirmed spotting of a hail-encircled tornado thrashing through west-central Minnesota. At last check there were no reports of major damage or injuries, lucky for all.