SAN ANTONIO, TX — Heavy thunderstorms are sweeping across the San Antonio area Friday night, sending flash flooding, damaging winds and widespread outages into parts of Bexar County and nearby communities. The National Weather Service has issued multiple warnings as the storms continue to move through the region.
The most urgent alert is a flash flood warning that lasts until 12:15 a.m. Saturday for northern Bexar County and south-central Comal County. By shortly after 9 p.m., some locations in the warned area had already received between 2 and 3 inches of rain, and another 1 to 2 inches could still fall. Officials said flooding was happening or expected in creeks, streets, highways and underpasses.
Storm threats spread across multiple counties
A separate severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect until 10:15 p.m. for southwestern Bexar County, southern Medina County and northwestern Atascosa County. Forecasters said the storms could produce wind gusts up to 60 mph, along with nickel-size hail.
Those hazards are arriving alongside torrential rain, which has been pushing southwest through Bexar County. A Weather Service update said several inches had already fallen as the system moved through the area, adding to the risk of fast-rising water and reduced visibility on local roads.
At San Antonio International Airport, conditions turned stormy by 8:51 p.m., with the temperature falling to 72 degrees, wind gusts reaching 40 mph and visibility dropping to about 1.5 miles.
Power outages and damage reported during the downpour
The storms also brought major utility disruptions. CPS Energy reported more than 50,000 outages as of 9:30 p.m. Friday, showing how quickly the system has affected homes and businesses across the city.
Texas Public Radio photographer Joey Palacios captured a gas station canopy that collapsed onto vehicles on the North Side during the storm. He said the people inside those vehicles were not injured.
Crews and drivers are now dealing with a night of rain-soaked roads, scattered damage and outages while the weather system continues to move through the region.
What officials say will happen next
The Weather Service is warning drivers not to try to cross flooded roads. Flooding is especially hard to spot after dark, and even shallow water can hide washed-out pavement or stalled vehicles.
Conditions are expected to improve overnight. Saturday’s forecast calls for sunny, hot weather with a high near 97 and heat index values around 101, bringing a sharp change after the evening storms.
This remains a developing situation, and officials are expected to update alerts as the storm system moves out and any additional flooding or damage reports come in.
When the weather turns dangerous, SVH Snow is watching.
