Tornado Kills Four in Texas with Heat Being Blamed on an Additional Death

Posted: June 23, 2023 12:38 pm

At least five people died this week in Texas at the hands of severe weather. Four fatalities happened when a tornado ripped through the town of Matador while the fifth death was blamed on the excessive heat. Here is a recap of the deadly weather events this week in the Lone Star State.

Tornado Kills Four in Northwestern Texas

A deadly tornado outbreak killed four people in the town of Matador, located in the northwestern corner of the state. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for six additional counties on Thursday, bringing the total number of impacted counties to 21.

In addition to the four people killed in the tornado, at least 10 more suffered injuries across the north-central Plains. The Lubbock Fire Department confirmed the four deaths early Thursday morning. At least 10 structures in Matador were also destroyed by the line of storms.

The Matador tornado happened less than one week after an EF3 twister took the lives of three people in Perryton, Texas. There have been 22 tornadoes so far in June that resulted in deaths, marking the most fatalities in this month since 2011.

Colorado Also Experiences Severe Weather

Texas was not the only state in the central U.S. to see severe weather on Wednesday. There were at least 14 tornado reports on Wednesday with the majority of these twisters spinning up in Colorado.

The SPC also confirmed 67 wind reports as well as 84 reports of hail on Wednesday alone. The most notable hail storm injured nearly 100 concert goers at the Red Rocks Amphitheater, located outside of Denver in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The injuries included cuts and broken bones with seven people requiring treatment at local hospitals.

In addition to the tornado reports from Wednesday, there were 67 wind reports and 84 hail reports, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center (SPC). Some of the hail measured as large as baseballs. There were also almost 30,000 lightning strikes recorded on Wednesday alone.

Heat Blamed on Death of Texas Postal Worker

The heat is also being blamed on the death of a U.S. postal worker who passed away while working his route on Tuesday in Dallas. Although the cause of death has not been officially confirmed, temperatures in the metroplex had skyrocketed to dangerous levels.

The U.S. Postal Service confirmed that 66-year-old Eugene Gates Jr. had worked for the agency for almost 40 years. He left his post as usual at the Lakewood Postal Station Tuesday morning. Gates’ wife received a call at about 4 pm local time informing her that her husband had been rushed to the hospital after collapsing in a front yard.

The homeowner noticed him on the ground and performed CPR until help arrived. Gates later passed away at the hospital.

Tuesday’s temperatures in Dallas had been forecast to climb into the upper 90s. However, the real feel readings when combined with the searing sun actually reached the triple digits. The heat index determined by the NWS was 115 degrees on Tuesday in Dallas, the highest reading in the metroplex since 1980.

The temperature was already in the low 90s when Gates set out on his route. The NWS had put an excessive heat warning in place, encompassing the time period between Monday afternoon and late Wednesday.

The fatality is a reminder to take the excessive heat seriously. Real feel temperatures that hit the century mark put people at an increased risk of heat stroke, dehydration, heat exhaustion, and more. This risk is greater if spending time outside performing strenuous activities.

Vulnerable populations such as infants, older adults, and those with underlying medical conditions are most at risk of seeing the negative impacts of these heat waves.

After a brief slight cooldown to end the work week, the mercury will once again be on the upswing across Texas and beyond. You will want to pay heed to any heat warnings should you live in this impacted area.

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