A massive tornado has struck a northern Texas town killing at least three people and bringing significant damage to about a dozen major buildings.
According to authorities, a search mission for people who may have been injured or trapped by debris has also been launched in Matador, Texas.Â
The tiny city – home to about 600 residents – sits about 300 miles northwest of Dallas and was placed under a tornado warning when the storm descended at about 8pm.
A storm system was moving across the area Wednesday night, which prompted the Weather Service to issue warnings of possible hail and tornadoes in parts of northern Texas
¿#BREAKING: A Massive and Deadly Tornado has left a Trail of Catastrophic damage with multiple homes and businesses completely leveled ¿¿¿#Matador | #Texas
¿Currently, 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
William Iwasko, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lubbock, Texas, said that based on the damage, there was ‘most likely a tornado’ that blew through Matador, but that official designation will be made Thursday.Â
Pat Smith, the town’s mayor, who also provides emergency services, confirmed that at least three people had been killed and that others may be injured. Rescue workers had pulled some residents from collapsed houses.
He added electricity was out in the town and that several businesses had been destroyed.
‘It’s really, really bad,’ Smith told the New York Times, as emergency crews shouted directions in the background.
A storm system was moving across the area Wednesday night, which prompted the Weather Service to issue warnings of possible hail and tornadoes in parts of northern Texas.
Wednesday night’s storm arrived nearly a week after a tornado tore through another small Texas town, Perryton, where three people were also killed and several dozen trailers and mobile homes were blown apart.Â
About a dozen buildings were damaged by the storm and some businesses were entirely wiped out
The National Weather Service will determine Thursday whether the storm officially produced a tornado – weather experts say the answer will likely be yes
Close view of the monster supercell that produced the violent tornado in Matador, Texas tonight. Cloud tops with this storm have been reaching over 65,000 feet. #TXwx pic.twitter.com/1hoe4Dmsdl
— Collin Gross (@CollinGrossWx) June 22, 2023
That tornado was part of a number of furious storms that moved across the southern United States last week
That tornado was part of a number of furious storms that moved across the southern United States last week.
The storm in Matador arrived alongside an intense wave of heat that blanketed much of Texas and Oklahoma.
Officials in the Lone Star state issued an excessive heat warning for the Dallas-Fort Worth area and asked that residents in other parts of the state conserve electricity as they fear the power grid could buckle over several days with temperatures hitting the triple digits.
Just days ago, a tornado slammed into a Mississippi town leaving one dead and 20 people hurt. Â
