Texas tornado news: Shocking drone footage reveals scale of destruction in Perryton as victims named

Follow updates on the tornado which tore through small Texas town of Perryton

Texas tornado captured crossing through Perryton by locals

An 11-year-old boy was among three people killed by the massive tornado which tore through a Texas Panhandle town on Thursday.

Becky Randall, a woman in her 60s, was found in a print shop, and Cindy Bransgrove, a woman also in her 60s, was discovered in a food bank, Ochiltree County Sheriff Terry Bouchard said.

The body of an 11-year-old boy, Matthew Ramirez, was found in a trailer park.

The twister hit Perryton, a town of around 8,000 people close to the Oklahoma border, on Thursday around 5pm local time and left a mile-long trail of destruction, the National Weather Service reported.

A mobile home park took a “direct hit” from the tornado, Perryton Fire Chief Paul Dutcher said. In addition to the fatalities, up to 100 people are being treated for injuries ranging from minor to severe.

More than 200,000 customers were without power in Texas on Friday afternoon, according to utility tracker Poweroutage.us. In Ochiltree County, home to Perryton, 91 per cent of customers were cut off.

In a separate incident, one person died late on Thursday in the Florida Panhandle when a tornado ripped through Escambia County and downed a tree on a home, The Associated Press reported.

Key points

• Panhandle town of Perryton battered by tornado
• Three victims killed including one whose trailer home took a ‘direct hit’ from storm
• Up to 100 people injured
• Greg Abbott directs state emergency response resources to assist town
• Where is Perryton, Texas?

[16 June 2023 17:07 · Louise Boyle]

Person dies after tornado strikes in Florida Panhandle

A tornado in the Florida Panhandle led to the death of one person in the state, officials confirmed.

The twister cut through Escambia County on the Gulf Coast on Thursday night.

One resident died after being trapped beneath a tree which fell on their home, county spokesperson Andie Gibson told the Pensacola News Journal.

[16 June 2023 17:30 · Louise Boyle]

One person remains missing after tornado hit

One person remains missing in Perryton, Texas, after a tornado struck on Thursday night.

Of the homes searched so far, all but one occupant had been accounted for, so the main priority was going back over the area and the debris field to find that person, Perryton Fire Chief Paul Dutcher said on NBC’s Today show.

Dutcher estimated that 150 to 200 homes in the community had been destroyed and said that in the downtown area, many storefronts were totally wiped off and buildings had collapsed or partially collapsed.

“You keep hearing people say, ‘We’ll rebuild’ and ‘We’ll be back,’” he said. “And we will. That’s the hope we have.” AP

[16 June 2023 17:46 · Louise Boyle]

Breaking: Texas tornado victims identified

The victims killed by the powerful tornado which struck Texas on Thursday night have been identified.

Becky Randall, a woman in her 60s, was found in a print shop, according to Ochiltree County Sheriff Terry Bouchard.

Cindy Bransgrove, a woman also in her 60s, was discovered in a food bank.

An 11-year-old boy, Matthew Ramirez, was also killed and found in a trailer park.

[16 June 2023 18:11 · Louise Boyle]

Satellites capture huge supercell storm system’s path

A satellite captured the supercell thunderstorm moving over Texas that spawned a devastating tornado.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s GOES16 satellite tracked the huge system on Thursday afternoon.

A tornado hit the small town of Perryton, near the Oklahoma border, around 5.10pm (local time) and left a quarter-mile wide path of destruction, NOAA reported.

[16 June 2023 18:31 · Louise Boyle]

Watch: Shocking drone footage reveals Texas tornado’s trail of destruction

[16 June 2023 18:46 · Louise Boyle]

Tornado warnings issued in New Jersey

Multiple tornado warnings were issued in New Jersey on Friday afternoon.

The National Weather Service warned of potential twisters around 1.30pm local time in Ocean and Burlington counties.

Severe thunderstorms were also being reported in the counties of Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Mercer, Middlesex and Monmouth.

[16 June 2023 19:14 · Louise Boyle]

Downtown Perryton in the aftermath of devastating tornado

A vehicle sits at the entrance to the Ellis Theater after a tornado struck Perryton, Texas, on Thursday (AP Photo/David Erickson)

[16 June 2023 19:33 · Louise Boyle]

More severe weather forecast across the US on Juneteenth holiday weekend

Heavy rain, flash flooding and severe thunderstorms were rolling across large parts of the US on Friday.

The National Weather Service warned of downpours and stormy conditions over the Central Plains going into the Juneteenth holiday weekend, with risk of extreme rainfall and severe thunderstorms over parts of eastern Colorado and western Kansas.

A complex of storms was moving up through the Northeast impacting parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York on Friday afternoon, with wind and hail the main hazards.

Severe weather will continue across the Plains, Gulf Coast and the Deep South on Saturday with large hail, damaging gusts and an isolated tornado possible.

Strong cells could gather strength in the central Gulf Coast on Saturday afternoon, causing wind damage and hail in coastal Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle before moving offshore.

Record heat will continue to blanket southern Texas in the coming days with highs in the 100Fs-110Fs, a 15-25 degree anomaly for this time of year over that area, NWS noted.

The threat of fire outbreaks is high in southeastern Arizona and New Mexico this weekend due to very dry and windy conditions.

Another low pressure system moving through the Northeast and Canada’s coastal areas will push wildfire smoke from dozens of wildfires north of the US border over the Midwest, Great Lakes and interior Northeast this weekend.

[16 June 2023 19:50 · Louise Boyle]

Watch: Excessive heat remains in Texas this weekend

[16 June 2023 20:09 · Louise Boyle]

World breached 1.5C limit temporarily in hottest June on record

The world breached – for a time – 1.5 degrees Celsius this month, scientists confirmed on Thursday, as they issued warnings on how fast humanity is approaching the critical warming limit set by the Paris Agreement.

The first 11 days of June were the hottest on record for this time of year, the European earth observation programme, Copernicus, reported.

The 1.5C threshold was crossed after El Niño – a climate pattern linked to warming in the Pacific – was officially declared, and last month saw record sea-surface temperatures.

While hitting 1.5C is temporary, it is the first time that the limit has been breached in June, Copernicus said.

The world has warmed on average 1.1C since industrial times began, largely due to burning fossil fuels. The ensuing excessive heat had led to a barrage of climate impacts from more powerful storms to prolonged droughts and more frequent wildfires.