Global Courant
At least four people were killed and 10 others injured as a tornado swept through a small northern Texas town Wednesday night, officials said.
Matador, some 80 miles northeast of Lubbock, and its population of less than 600 were issued a tornado warning because a powerful storm brought gusting winds and softball-sized hail to the Rolling Plains area after 8 p.m. CT. Local and state authorities reported seeing at least one tornado in Matador that night, though the National Weather Service will investigate.
The Lubbock Fire Rescue, which sent units to Matador, said in a statement early Thursday that there were at least four confirmed fatalities and 10 injuries in Matador after the “unprecedented tornado.”
“Agencies from across the South Plains have assisted in search and rescue efforts,” the Lubbock Fire Rescue added. “State resources have come to Matador to initiate post-disaster operations, including damage assessment and final recovery efforts.”
Tornado damage is seen in Matador, Texas, on June 21, 2023.
Twister Hunter/Jason Weingart
Brendan Moore, Matador’s senior water inspector and a volunteer firefighter, told ABC News late Wednesday that about 15 buildings had been destroyed and the entire west side was “swept away,” including the city’s only cafes and convenience stores. There was also no electricity or water in the city at that time. Officials worked in complete darkness to locate and identify any victims, he said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles southeast of Matador, a freight train derailed near Corsicana in Texas’s Navarro county on Wednesday night as wind gusts reached up to 80 miles per hour.
“No one was injured and nothing was spilled,” the train operator, Union Pacific, said in a statement. “The cause is being investigated, but initial reports indicate weather was a factor.”
Parts of Texas had winds of up to 109 mph on Wednesday. Wind gusts of up to 97 mph were reported at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
Tornado damage is seen in Matador, Texas, on June 21, 2023.
Twister Hunter/Jason Weingart
Texas wasn’t the only U.S. state to be hit by severe weather on Wednesday. There were a total of 11 reported tornadoes in four states — Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado and Texas, according to the National Weather Service. Hundreds of thousands of customers were left without power in the South amid dangerous storms and sweltering heat, according to data collected by PowerOutage.us.
A 62-year-old woman died Wednesday from heat in Caddo Parish, Louisiana. The area was without power for a long time, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
At the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado, dozens of concertgoers were injured by baseball-sized hail Wednesday night. According to the West Metro Fire Rescue, a total of 80 to 90 people were treated at the scene, while seven were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, including cuts and broken bones.
Laryssa Demkiw, Max Golembo, Melissa Griffin, Marilyn Heck, Amanda Morris and Ashley Riegle of ABC News contributed to this report.
