MATADOR, Texas — West Texas faced nature’s fury yesterday as severe thunderstorms unleashed DVD-sized hail, measuring up to 5 inches in diameter, across the region, leaving a trail of destruction in communities like Matador. The massive hailstones, reported alongside a large wedge tornado in Motley County, shattered windshields, dented vehicles, and battered homes, while the broader storm system spawned over 10 tornadoes across the state.
The National Weather Service in Lubbock had warned of the potential for such giant hail, with storms developing after 4 p.m. across the Texas Panhandle, West Texas, and the Permian Basin. Matador saw some of the worst impacts, with hailstones reaching 12.7 cm—comparable to the size of a DVD—crashing down around 7:15 p.m. Floydada reported even larger hail, up to 13.2 cm, marking one of the most intense hail events of the season. Winds gusting between 60 and 80 mph added to the chaos, while a second round of storms near the Texas-New Mexico state line after 8 p.m. brought renewed threats of hail and tornadoes along the Interstate 27 corridor.
Local storm chasers documented the scene, capturing the sheer scale of the hail and the accompanying tornado northwest of Matador, which swirled under dark, ominous skies. Residents in Lubbock, Plainview, and Childress were urged to move vehicles to covered parking and secure outdoor items, as the storms also raised concerns about flash flooding overnight in low-lying areas. Power outages and road closures were reported across the region, compounding the challenges for recovery.
The storms are part of a broader severe weather outbreak sweeping the central U.S., with Texas bearing the brunt of 10 of the 16 tornadoes reported across six states yesterday. While no fatalities were noted in Matador, the scale of property damage has left communities bracing for a costly cleanup. Meteorologists attribute the extreme weather to a potent mix of warm, moist air and shifting winds, a recipe that’s fueled a banner spring for hail in Texas, following a record-breaking 300 tornadoes nationwide last April.