Gigantic tornado hits Texas amid severe thunderstorms

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A huge tornado struck northern Texas as a wave of intense thunderstorms powered over the state.

Videos show a huge twister swirling over the plains near Morton, Texas, just outside of Lubbock.

The tornado appeared to be immensely wide, spiralling down from a storm cloud above and whipping up dust and dirt as it swept over the flat land.

There do not seem to be any reported injuries from that tornado on Monday, according to Fox News. The National Weather Service (NWS) also reports three other tornadoes touching down in the Lubbock area.

The NWS also has reports of hail and wind speeds of over 50 miles per hour.

NWS Lubbock tweeted a photo of a drowned pickup truck on a rural road this morning after last night’s storms.

Tornadoes, formed during some intense thunderstorms, are relatively common in this part of Texas – part of what’s known as the country’s “Tornado Alley”.

It’s unclear what effect the climate crisis might have on tornado frequency or intensity, NWS reports. But some initial observations suggest that changing conditions could alter tornado patterns across parts of the US.

Some research has found that thunderstorms could become more common in many parts of the world if the climate crisis continues to get worse.