- On Monday, rain from a cold front moving across Texas seemed to be eluding the San Antonio region.
- In the early afternoon, emergency radio bulletins warned of severe weather. Radar maps showed storm lines travelling steadily northeast, slamming towns north and northeast of the metropolis. Phone notifications rang and email warnings accumulated, warning of storm cells, tornado watches, and torrential rainfall.
- And yet, the nighttime skies above downtown San Antonio were quiet, at times breathtakingly pure, apparently devoid of hope for the drought-stricken Alamo City.
- However, around 11:30 p.m., lightning flashed above. Thunder erupted. The heavens opened, and torrential rain poured. From Dilley to New Braunfels, a line of new storms emerged west of the city and raced eastward. For a few minutes, pea-sized hail also fell in the downtown area. Pedestrians huddled behind buildings near the Pearl retail complex stretched out with their hands to collect falling ice.
- It was done by 11:45 p.m. The storms shifted eastward. The night was calm once again, interrupted only by the sound of dripping. By 12 a.m., CPS Energy’s online outage map showed very few reported outages.
- However, the National Weather Service, or NWS, said that the risk had not gone. Early Tuesday morning, forecasters cautioned that south central Texas counties — including Atascosa, Bastrop, Bexar, Caldwell, Gonzales, and Guadalupe — remained under a tornado watch until 1 a.m.
- Additionally, until 3:45 a.m., Bastrop, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Hays, Lee, Travis, and Williamson counties were under a flash flood warning.
- Until 8 a.m., the majority of southeast Texas remained under tornado watch.
- On Monday, the 1-35 corridor between San Antonio and Austin saw wave after wave of severe weather, which appeared to accelerate as it headed southeast.
- On Monday, amateur recordings and unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Round Rock, College Station, and Madisonville flooded social media. The National Weather Service in Fort Worth verified the existence of a tornado in Sandow and Tanglewood, just east of Austin. The National Weather Service in Houston verified a tornado near Crockett, Texas, north of Houston.
- The NWS said Monday evening that it will conduct a damage assessment of Monday’s storms on Tuesday, “including grading any tornadic damage.” It targeted five areas: the region between Elgin and Giddings; the area between Seguin and Luling; the sector west of Jarrell; and a sliver of land between Pflugerville and Granger.
- On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott activated state emergency resources.
- Tuesday and Wednesday will be breezy in San Antonio, but the sky will be largely sunny with highs in the 70s. Thursday through Sunday, temperatures will be warmer.
- From Tuesday afternoon, a fire weather watch is in force owing to fire-prone circumstances west of the line from Rocksprings to Pearsall. According to the National Weather Service, wildfires may spread swiftly and unpredictable. Preventative measures begin with refraining from outdoor burning and restricting actions that might generate a spark.
