A series of extreme storms produced a slew of tornadoes in northern Texas on Wednesday evening, killing at least three people and causing significant damage to infrastructure, according to multiple reports and footage.
The three people were reported dead in the tiny town of Matador, home to around 600 people, according to The New York Times (NYT). Around a dozen buildings were battered in the storm systems, leading to an extensive search for people who may still be trapped by debris, local authorities reported.
The storm hit at around 8 p.m. local time. Due to the significant damage a tornado was thought to be the most likely culprit, which area law enforcement later confirmed, the New York Post reported. Users also shared footage of the tornado online. Other towns such as Jayton were under a tornado watch, and suffered softball-sized hail and 100 mph wind gusts, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
🚨#BREAKING: A Massive and Deadly Tornado has left a Trail of Catastrophic damage with multiple homes and businesses completely leveled ⁰⁰📌#Matador | #Texas
⁰Currently, several emergency crews and agencies are en route to the town of Matador, Texas, following a massive and… pic.twitter.com/oZjYiG5qtg— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 22, 2023
“I gave the order for Heavy Rescue 1 to respond to the town of Matador to assist in freeing trapped residents from collapsed structures,” Lubbock Fire Rescue Chief Shaun Fogerson confirmed to the outlet. (RELATED: REPORT: One Dead, Dozens Injured As Tornado Rips Through Mississippi)
Hundreds, if not thousands, of customers are without power as of Thursday morning throughout the Rolling Plains region of Texas, live data from poweroutage.us shows. It is the second deadly weather event to hit the Lone Star State in six days. Three people were also killed in the town of Perryton when a tornado ripped through earlier in June, pulling power that left more than half a million people across multiple states in the dark.