An EF-2 tornado that touched down Thursday in Perryton, Texas left a 1.5 mile-long path of destruction in its wake, killing at least three residents, injuring 75 others, and destroying 200 homes.
A tornado watch had been in effect for much of the state at the time, and Governor Greg Abbott (R) had advised residents across the state to take precautions.
Two people are still missing in the twister's aftermath, and Abbott has declared a state of emergency in the area.
“I ask all Texans to join Cecilia and me in praying for our fellow Texans who have been impacted by this horrific storm. Stay safe, Texas,” he said.
Becky Randall was found dead in a print shop in the town, while Cindy Bransgrove was found in a food bank. Both women were in their sixties.
Eleven year old Matthew Ramirez was found in a trailer park, where his body was tossed 150 feet by the tornado before his death.
Drone footage of the town showed buildings that looked like they had been shredded by the winds, as well as roofs blown off and overturned tractor trailers. Smoke still poured out of some buildings where fires had burned because of the tornado's force.
It was a week of severe weather in the South and Southeast, with storms and damaging hail as large as five inches raging across Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle.
A storm pattern known as a derecho, which can produce hurricane-force winds even though it is inland, was predicted in the area on Wednesday.
There were also fatalities in Mississippi and Florida from the weather, bringing the number of dead to at least five.
Nine states in total had severe weather that caused damage, including from several other tornadoes.
Peak wind gusts from the storms were 82 miles an hour in Cleveland, Mississippi.
More severe weather is expected across the South and Midwest over the weekend including tornado threats across several states including Tennessee and Arkansas on Sunday.
The South is also baking in triple digit temperatures, including in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and New Orleans.
