Texas weather: Tornado in San Antonio; over 25 rescues in Uvalde County
Texas severe weather and flash flooding
A tornado touched down in San Antonio, floodwaters forced rescues in Uvalde County, and emergency crews across the region are preparing for the possibility of more high water as rain continues to fall.
TEXAS - South and Central Texas are dealing with yet another round of severe weather.
A tornado touched down in San Antonio, floodwaters forced rescues in Uvalde County, and emergency crews across the region are preparing for the possibility of more high water as rain continues to fall.
A flood watch remains in effect through Thursday evening, with several more rounds of heavy rain that could bring additional flooding before conditions begin to improve Friday.
Tornado in San Antonio
The backstory:
The National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in Bexar County Wednesday morning.
Videos showed the twister on the ground for about a minute with bright power flashes lighting up the sky as it damaged electrical lines.
@fox7austin A tornado touched down in northwest San Antonio this morning. It crossed I-10.
♬ original sound - FOX 7 Austin
The San Antonio Fire Department assessed damage at The Rim.
No injuries were reported.
Local perspective:
"You don't think of a tornado in San Antonio," San Antonio resident Nathalie Mai said.
That is what Nathalie Mai woke up to on Wednesday morning though.
"All of a sudden, I see these dark clouds and this little tornado thing that's kind of forming and then that's when I realized that the lightning, I thought was lightning, was actually power lines just blowing up," Mai said.
Tornado spotted in San Antonio area
A tornado hit the northwest part of the San Antonio area on Wednesday morning as storms moved through the area.
As the funnel grew larger, the situation became more than just something to record.
"I was like, OK, maybe I should go hide in the bathroom in case the window breaks and, you know, I don't want to get injured and all that stuff," Mai said.
South and Central Texas flooding
Dig deeper:
The tornado is just one of several weather threats impacting South and Central Texas.
In Uvalde County, floodwaters forced evacuations and rescues Wednesday morning. County officials said crews had performed 25 rescues by mid-morning as rivers and creeks continued to rise.
With more rain expected through Thursday, emergency crews are preparing for the possibility of more high-water emergencies.
San Antonio tornado causes power flashes, damage
Video shows a tornado that swept through San Antonio on Wednesday morning causing power flashes as it caused damage on the northwest side of the city.
The Austin Police Department and Austin Fire Department Helicopter Search and Rescue Team have been activated to assist if needed.
"We provide the air crew and the aircraft and then Austin Fire provides the rescue technician," Austin Police Sgt. Robert Gilbert said.
The team can respond throughout the region and often reach people stranded by floodwaters.
"We can typically get in a lot faster than somebody on a boat or somebody from land," Sgt. Gilbert said.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Meredith Aldis