Current:Home > FinanceDeadly storm slams northern Texas town of Matador, leaves trail of destruction-LoTradeCoin
Deadly storm slams northern Texas town of Matador, leaves trail of destruction
View Date:2024-12-24 00:04:20
A severe storm slammed the tiny northern Texas town of Matador on Wednesday evening, killing at least four people and injuring at least nine others, officials said Thursday.
The fire department in nearby Lubbock, Texas, called the storm an "unprecedented tornado" and said Matador opened a cooling center due to the "record-breaking" heat in the region. Lubbock Fire Rescue said it sent a crew to assist at the scene.
Earlier, Matador Mayor Pat Smith told CBS News' Patrick Torphy that crews were digging people out of rubble and carried some bodies away.
Smith said roughly 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.
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 pack winds of up to 200 mph.
William Iwasko, a senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Lubbock, told The New York Times the storm was "most likely a tornado" based on the damage and that it would be determined for sure on Thursday.
The weather service's Lubbock office reported just after 8 p.m. Wednesday that law enforcement confirmed a tornado just north of Matador.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m., Iwasko said there had been three confirmed tornadoes in a line of storms, but it appeared the one around Matador was the only one that caused significant damage.
The Avalanche-Journal reported that the storms produced softball-size hail and gusts topping 100 mph in communities including Jayton.
There were widespread power outages in the region.
The worst damage appeared to be in Matador.
Wednesday's severe weather came six days after a tornado left three people dead and more than 100 injured in Perryton in the northern Texas Panhandle.
- In:
- Severe Weather
veryGood! (364)
Related
- Bankruptcy judge questioned Shilo Sanders' no-show at previous trial
- AP Week in Pictures: Global
- California Senate leader Toni Atkins announces run for governor in 2026
- Lions finally giving fans, including Eminem, chance to cheer for a winner after decades of futility
- Suspect arrested after deadly Tuskegee University homecoming shooting
- Why electric cars don't do well in cold weather – and what you can do about it
- For Netflix documentaries, there’s no place like Sundance
- Hale Freezes Over
- GM recalls 460k cars for rear wheel lock-up: Affected models include Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac
- Analysis: Risk of spiraling Mideast violence grows as war in Gaza inflames tensions
Ranking
- 'SNL' stars jokingly declare support for Trump, Dana Carvey plays Elon Musk
- Inside Kailyn Lowry's Journey to Becoming a Mom of 7
- 'Origin' is a story of ideas, made deeply personal
- Fani Willis hired Trump 2020 election case prosecutor — with whom she's accused of having affair — after 2 others said no
- GreenBox Systems will spend $144 million to build an automated warehouse in Georgia
- African leaders criticize Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and call for an immediate cease-fire
- France police detain 13-year-old over at least 380 false bomb threats
- Man on trial for killing young woman whose friends pulled into wrong driveway says ‘my soul is dead’
Recommendation
-
Trump has promised to ‘save TikTok’. What happens next is less clear
-
US Navy fighter jets strike Houthi missile launchers in Yemen, officials say
-
Trump's comments about E. Jean Carroll caused up to $12.1 million in reputational damage, expert tells jury
-
'Testing my nerves': Nick Cannon is frustrated dad in new Buffalo Wild Wings ad
-
Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Details to Meri Why She Can't Trust Ex Kody and His Sole Wife Robyn
-
The March for Life rallies against abortion with an eye toward the November elections
-
'Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell' is a film where a big screen makes a big difference
-
Barre workouts are gaining in popularity. Here's why.