A Deadly Storm Hits The North Texas Town Of Matador, Leaving A Trail Of Destruction

matador texas severe storm likely tornado evening of 062123

A tornado hits the Texas city, killing four people

Tornado rips through Texas town, killing at least four

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A severe storm hit the small North Texas town of Matador on Wednesday evening, killing at least four people and injuring at least nine others, authorities said Thursday.

The fire department in nearby Lubbock, Texas, called the storm an “unprecedented tornado” and said Matador opened a cooling center because of the “record” heat in the region. Lubbock Fire Rescue said it dispatched a crew to attend the scene.

Earlier, Matador Mayor Pat Smith told CBS News’ Patrick Torphy that crews were digging people out of the rubble and removing some bodies.

Smith said approximately 10 structures were destroyed.

Reports from storm chasers and meteorologists on social media showed considerable damage around Matador, with damaged homes, utility lines, trees and infrastructure.

First responders survey the small North Texas town of Matador for damage from a severe storm – likely a tornado – that tore through the night of June 21, 2023.

Michael Beard / LSM

Matador is a town of about 570 people 70 miles northeast of Lubbock in Motley County.

Meteorologist David Payne of CBS Oklahoma City affiliate KWTV said the destruction “looks like EF4 damage to me.” EF4 is a categorization of tornadoes on a scale of one to five, with five being the most severe. EF4s have winds of up to 200 mph.

William Iwasko, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Lubbock, told the New York Times that the storm was “probably a tornado” based on the damage and will be determined for sure Thursday.

The weather service’s Lubbock office reported just after 8 pm Wednesday that law enforcement confirmed a tornado north of Matador.

Shortly after 9:30 p.m., Iwasko said there had been three confirmed tornadoes in a line of storms, but the one around Matador appeared to be the only one with significant damage.

The Avalanche-Journal reported that the storms produced softball-sized hail and gusts that exceeded 100 mph in communities like Jayton.

There were widespread power outages in the region.

The worst damage seemed to be on Matador.

Wednesday’s bad weather arrived six days after the aornate left three people dead and more than 100 injured in Perryton in the northern Texas Panhandle.