Two days of drenching rain spawned chaotic weather across South Texas on Wednesday, including a tornado in San Antonio and flooding in Boerne and other Hill Country towns. More heavy rain was in the forecast, sparking concern about the potential for a devastating inundation in the Uvalde area on Thursday.
Here is a roundup of the day’s events.
A bystander snaps a picture of rain-swollen Cibolo Creek in Boerne on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
A Kendall County Sheriff’s Office rescue vehicle in downtown Boerne on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Rapids from Cibolo Creek flow beneath a bridge on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Boerne.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Main Street near Cibolo Creek in Boerne is blocked by a police vehicle due to flooding on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
A section of North Center Street in Sabinal is closed due to rising floodwaters in Uvalde County on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Uvalde County sheriff’s deputies block access to State Highway 83 as a helicopter prepares to land on the road while performing an emergency evacuation due to flooding in the Deer Valley area in Uvalde on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
The Dry Frio River swells underneath a bridge along State Highway 83 in Uvalde County on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
State Rep. Don McLaughlin addresses the media during a news conference about severe flooding across Uvalde County on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
A Texas Department of Public Safety vehicle drives through standing water in Uvalde on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
A section of North Center Street in Sabinal is closed due to rising flood waters across Uvalde County on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
People walk along the swollen Frio River near Neal’s Lodges in Concan on Wednesday afternoon, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Rowdy Loftin, left, and Zane Brewer look at the swollen Frio River along State Highway 127 in Concan on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Flood debris wraps around railings at Uvalde Memorial Park on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
A section of North Center Street in Sabinal is closed due to rising flood waters across Uvalde County on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Floodwaters from the Leona River in Uvalde Memorial Park on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Flood debris wraps around railings at Uvalde Memorial Park on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Flood debris partially obscures a sign for the Rotary Amphitheater at Uvalde Memorial Park on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Floodwaters cover a path to mailboxes along State Highway 83 in Uvalde on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter flies over State Highway 83 in Uvalde on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, after evacuating residents from the Deer Valley area due to severe flooding.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter flies toward the Deer Valley area near State Highway 83 in Uvalde on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, to evacuate residents stranded by floodwaters.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
The Frio River in Concan on Wednesday afternoon, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
A semi-truck sits stranded in floodwater along Texas 83 in Uvalde on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
‘Wall of water’ heads for Uvalde
Uvalde officials ordered mandatory evacuations along the Leona River early Wednesday afternoon, saying a 20-foot wall of water was making its way downstream and into the city. Police were going door-to-door along the river telling people to leave.
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City officials disputed reports that the Leona Dam on the river in northern Uvalde County had given way but warned that the river’s water level could rise by 15 feet in a short period of time.
“The dam is intact,” city officials said in a statement. “However, the river gauge, located upstream on the Leona River, above Uvalde, is reporting a 20 ft wall of water; it is expected to rise another 15 ft. If you live along the Leona River, we ask that you get to higher ground.”
First responders rescued 24 people from rising water in Uvalde County on Tuesday, and another 25 were rescued overnight and into Wednesday morning, authorities said. Three people were rescued from semi-trailer rigs stranded in high water on Texas 55.
No deaths or injuries had been reported, and no one was known to be missing, authorities said.
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A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter flies over State Highway 83 in Uvalde on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, after evacuating residents from the Deer Valley area.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Flooding cuts off parts of Boerne
The National Weather Service declared a flood emergency in Boerne as flooding on Cibolo Creek closed roads, cut off some neighborhoods and prompted 20 water rescues.
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The water level in the creek surged from 3 1/2 feet on Monday to more than 21 feet as of noon Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. That exceeds the record crest of 19.83 feet recorded in May 2015.
Boerne officials urged residents in neighborhoods along the creek to evacuate or shelter in place. About 500 homes in the Heart of Boerne, Evergreen, Yolana and West San Antonio Avenue neighborhoods were affected. City officials closed River Road, one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, during the flooding.
Cibolo Creek is flooded Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Boerne.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
People watch as Cibolo Creek floods on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Boerne.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
Several flooded vehicles are seen at The Trails at River Road after flooded waters washed the area Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Boerne.
Andrew J. Whitaker/San Antonio Express-News
‘Oh my God, it’s a tornado’
A tornado touched down on San Antonio’s North Side, damaging two apartment complexes, forcing businesses at The Rim to close and cutting power to Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Hurricane Harbor. No injuries were reported at any of the locations.
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The tornado touched down just before 8 a.m. Wednesday near Hausman Road, just south of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s main campus, the National Weather Service said.
The Oasis San Antonio apartments at 6023 UTSA Blvd. sustained severe roof damage, and The Tribute at The Rim was also hit.
Nyah Bates, who has lived at The Tribute for two months, said she and her roommate were jolted awake by the sound of construction scaffolding banging against the windows. “It was crazy,” Bates said. She said a concrete sign from the apartment complex had been thrown into her parked car, shattering the rear windshield.
Residents at The Oasis stood in the rain with suitcases, laundry baskets and backpacks, trying to make arrangements for places to stay until they could return to their apartments. Building A bore the brunt of the damage. Units marked with a large “X” had been deemed unsafe.
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“I looked out the blinds and literally saw the funnel and debris flying around outside the apartment,” said Katelyn Parker, a UTSA junior. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s a tornado.'”
She said she climbed into her bathtub for shelter. Moments later, her phone sounded with a tornado warning. When the winds subsided, Parker and her three roommates went outside to find pieces of the building scattered across the property. Building A’s roof was gone.
At The Rim, Bluefin Sushi Bar & Ramen restaurant sustained extensive damage and had to close, an employee said. Bass Pro Shops, Terra Café and the Potbelly sandwich shops suffered minor damage and also closed for the day. At the shuttered Santikos Palladium, storm debris was scattered outside the theater’s front entrance, and tree branches were strewn across the parking lot.
Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Hurricane Harbor both closed for the day. Spokesperson Cyle Perez said that the storm caused no structural damage to either attraction and that all employees were safe. Guests with tickets dated Wednesday will be able to use them on another day during the 2026 operating season. The park said it will post updates on social media.
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Northside Councilwoman Ivalis Meza Gonzalez said several neighborhoods and less populated areas around UTSA, Camp Bullis, Crownridge and the Dominion suffered “significant damage” as the tornado barreled through.
The damaged roof is shown at The Oasis San Antonio near UTSA after a tornado touched down in the area on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News
Santikos Palladium theater at The Rim in Northwest San Antonio was one of numerous buildings damaged by a tornado on Wednesday morning, July 15, 2026 at The Rim in Northwest San Antonio. Santikos employees and contract workers taped off areas in front of the theater to help remove the building debris.
Michel Fortier/San Antonio Express-News
Gratr Landscapes employees gingerly remove a tree which fell on an SUV after a tornado touched down in The Rim and other areas of Northwest San Antonio on July 15, 2026. The owner of the vehicle, who works at an area business, saw the tornado coming and parked her vehicle and fled into her workplace.
Michel Fortier/San Antonio Express-News
This story is based on reporting by Liz Teitz, Richard Webner, Ricardo Delgado, Anthony Franze, Annasofia Scheve, Raul Trey Lopez, Madison Iszler and Megan Rodriguez.