Small tornado spotted north of downtown San Antonio Thursday morning

A “brief” and “very weak” tornado just north of downtown swept its way over the city Thursday morning as rain and thunderstorms scattered across San Antonio.

The community needs to remain vigilant for developing storms and possible tornadoes Thursday, the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio wrote on social media.

“While there are no warnings ongoing, two potential tornadoes have occurred in south-central Texas this morning,” the regional NWS wrote on X, about an hour after the tornado was reportedly seen north of downtown. “This threat will remain along and east of I-35 corridor counties over the next 1-2 hours, so please have multiple ways of receiving warnings! Storms are moving NNE.”

As of 9:45 a.m., no tornado warnings were issued by the National Weather Service, and the NWS could not confirm the tornado, as it’s still in the process of gathering reports, photos, video and information, NWS meteorologist Eric Platt said.

According to videos and images posted on social media, the tornado appears to have been in the air north of downtown, near Brackenridge Park, and briefly touched down at Joint Base San Antonio Fort Sam Houston.

The JBSA Fort Sam public information office confirmed that a “brief, very weak tornado” touched down on the base at 8 a.m. Thursday.

“There are no reported injuries, but downed trees and some damage to vehicles have been reported,” the base said on X.

The base is assessing all damage across the base and is asking people to avoid affected areas while cleanup and repairs are underway. It also advised residents to “remain vigilant and aware of their building’s shelter in place location as they go about their day.”

The San Antonio Zoo also released a statement, reassuring the community that no damage occurred and that animals and staff at the zoo are safe and secure.

Other San Antonians are posting recorded videos of the tornado online.

The NWS issued a tornado warning Thursday morning for Comal and Hays County until 9:45 a.m. San Antonio has a hazardous weather outlook advisory in place until tonight.

“A Flood Watch is in effect through 1 PM today for the Hill Country, southern Edwards Plateau, and I-35 corridor from Williamson County to Comal County. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are possible, with isolated pockets of 4 to 6 inches,” the advisory says.

“Flooding of creeks, streams, and low water crossings are possible where higher rainfall amounts occur, along with flooding of other poor drainage and urban areas. Motorists should use extreme caution through the morning and be alert for flooded low water crossings.”