This was confirmed in a statement by the Motley County Sheriff’s Office, without providing further details on the toll of injured people.

“There was definitely a tornado” that struck Matador around 8 p.m. Wednesday, but its strength and rating won’t be known until surveys are done, said Matt Ziebell, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Lubbock.

Brandon Moore, senior water superintendent for Matador, said in a phone interview that at least 20 businesses and homes were destroyed and that officials would know more during daylight hours.

The fire department in Lubbock, around 70 miles to the southwest of Matador, had sent a heavy-rescue team to assist the town.

There were 11 reports of tornadoes in Nebraska, Colorado, Texas and Wyoming, according to the weather service list of reports. Typically, damage surveys are done to determine whether tornadoes occurred.

Last week in Texas, three people were killed and dozens more injured when an EF3 tornado with peak winds of 140 mph struck Perryton, a city around 160 miles north of Matador.

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