Texas tornado destroys town, 3 dead, dozens injured as search efforts extend into night

09:05

Tornado tears through Texas town

Storm chaser Nick Smego said he is one mile behind the tornado. FOX Weather determined that the tornado has been on the ground for about 20 minutes.

PERRYTON, Texas – A Texas town is picking up the pieces tonight after a tornado devastated their city.

According to a report from KVII, the local fire chief said three people were killed and at least 75 were injured during the severe storms.

Tornadoes were seen tearing through the southern Plains on Thursday, leaving a path of destruction in parts of Texas.

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Storm chasers followed the twisters as they moved through the Texas Panhandle. Nick Smego watched as the tornado spun about a mile in front of him.

Confirmed and observed tornado in Perryton, Texas. June 15, 2023.

(Nick Smego / LSM / FOX Weather)

"This dryline has just exploded in a matter of 30 to 45 minutes," Smego told FOX Weather.

Storm chaser Brian Emfinger came across significant damage moments after the cyclone moved through Perryton, Texas.

11:13

Texas residents emerge from Tornado shelters to assess damage

Storm chaser Brian Emfinger brings us back to Perryton, Texas now that the tornado has cleared. Slowly residents are coming out from their shelters to assess the damage and offer help to those who need it.

"There is so much damage and destruction," Emfinger said. 

The drone video showed images of destroyed mobile homes and uprooted trees from the twister. He said one of the mobile homes that was hit by the twister was on fire.

Witnesses reported storm victims being pulled from the rubble, and storm chasers were requesting ambulances respond to the town to help the injured.

Emfinger said the smell of gas was prevalent, and people were using their hands to dig through the debris.

03:43

Drone video shows scope of damage in Perryton, Texas

A tornado ripped through Perryton, Texas, on Thursday afternoon, destroying everything in its path. Storm chaser Brian Emfinger shows the damage from his drone. 

"There were other significant structures along its path all the way through town that are damaged," Emfinger said. "It's a pretty unfortunate and serious situation here in Perryton right now."

Perryton resident Sabrina Devers said that her town is now unrecognizable. 

"It looks like a bomb had gone off," she said. "The residential areas, the mobile homes, are just gone. There’s severe devastation." 

04:25

'It looks like a bomb had gone off': Texas resident describes violent tornado

Rescue efforts are underway in the town of Perryton, Texas, after a destructive tornado moved through on Thursday. 

The National Weather Service in Amarillo told FOX Weather that the Perryton tornado was on the ground for approximately 8 miles before lifting. The team plans to survey the damage Friday and give the tornado an official rating. 

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Thursday's tornadoes come as part of a multiday severe weather threat across the southern U.S. Thursday's severe weather threat was a Level 4 out of 5 on the Storm Prediction Center's scale. 

A Tornado Watch has been issued for major cities like Dallas and Oklahoma City through the evening hours. The severe weather threat doesn't end Thursday, with more severe storms expected Friday in some of the same areas.

More than 21 million people from eastern Colorado and Kansas through the South and into the Florida Panhandle saw Severe Thunderstorm Warnings on Thursday.