Peak wind gusts near 80 MPH leave trail of damage across San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO – Powerful thunderstorms swept across the San Antonio area Friday evening, producing wind gusts approaching 80 mph and leaving a widespread trail of damage across Bexar County.

At the height of the storm, nearly 100,000 CPS Energy customers lost electricity as strong winds and lightning damaged equipment throughout the system.

Crews are continuing to restore service throughout the weekend, while residents continue to clean up scattered debris, downed tree limbs, and navigate power outages lingering in several neighborhoods.

What caused the extreme winds

Friday night’s event was just a severe thunderstorm with severe wind. There is a possibility that wind speeds were enhanced by a downburst and additional thunderstorms developing along an outflow boundary. A rapidly developing weather situation can easily change in an instant, so we may never really know the full extent.

While the storm produced little cloud-to-ground lightning in some of the hardest-hit areas, it generated strong straight-line winds that caused widespread damage across the city.

What is clear is that the widespread damage pattern, including downed trees, structural damage, and power outages across much of Bexar County, is consistent with a large swath of severe thunderstorm winds. Official reports documented storm damage in several locations, including Live Oak and areas near Olmos Park, where multiple trees were reported down.

The strongest official wind gust recorded at San Antonio International Airport reached 52 mph as a line of severe thunderstorms moved through. However, the most intense winds occurred just south of the airport. Our radar indicates the Alamo Heights neighborhood could have received gusts up to 75 mph.

The winds continued to forcefully move through San Antonio over the next half hour. Towards the West Side near Lackland Air Force Base, more trees were toppled and structures were damaged with wind gusts near 80 mph. This knocked out power to tens of thousands of residents and created hazardous travel conditions across the city.

Although heavy rain accompanied the storms, wind proved to be the primary threat. Several locations received more than two inches of rainfall, causing localized flooding to develop within the severe weather outbreak.

Cleanup efforts are underway as crews work to remove debris and restore power.

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