NWS reveals San Antonio tornado path and strength

While it’s already been known by residents with dwellings just outside of Fort Sam Houston on the city’s near Eastside, the National Weather Service just rubber stamped the claims: A tornado definitely touched down in San Antonio on Thursday October 27, taking down trees and powerlines and tossing lawn ornaments across yards.

In a shocking turn of events, however, the national agency’s investigators reported the tornado actually ran for about five miles from the Alamo Masonic Cemetery to Terrell Hills near Fort Sam Houston.  While those living near the Joint Base San Antonio location estimated the whipping winds only shook their homes for about a minute, the National Weather Service says the tornado lasted nearly 20 minutes from 8:01 a.m. to 8:18 a.m.

“National Weather Service damage survey has concluded an EF-0 tornado started near the south end of the Masonic Cemetery off of East Commerce Street in San Antonio,” the agency’s report reads. “Several trees were damaged in the cemetery between East Commerce and East Crockett streets, and a fence was damaged at the tennis courts in Fairchild Park.”

The report identifies quite a bit of damage in the five-mile path of the tornado, noting sporadic tree and roof damage in between its start point and end destination suggesting the tornado may have lifted off the ground for a mere moment in its journey toward Terrell Hills. However, the damage seemed to be concentrated in the areas around Fort Sam Houston.

“The damage path was more notable within Ft. Sam Houston. Several trampolines were lofted, partial roof damage occurred to a building near the south end of the Fort, and significant tree damage was also observed throughout the Fort property up to near Old Austin Road,” the report states.

The Enhanced Jujita Scale – or EF Scale – classifies tornadoes based on wind speeds with EF-0 being the weakest of the tornado classifications with wind speeds ranging between 65 and 85 mph. However, the preliminary information on the tornado that touched down Thursday suggest it nearly topped out of its lowest-level category, whipping wind up to 80 mph and spanning 150 yards in width during its 5-mile trek across the Eastside.

According to the report, the track of the tornado remains preliminary as investigators continue their efforts, but a note was made that the current path projections are based on radar and video footage taken during the storm. The tornado in San Antonio was a popular subject on social media Thursday as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook users took the web to share short clips of tornado sightings in town.

While there was a decent amount of damage done around town from the strong winds associated with the tornado, both county and city officials confirmed there were no injuries or serious emergency calls made as a result.

“The most significant damage was to trees in the area, as well as minor structural damage including a fence at Fairchild Park. No injuries reported and no residents were displaced,” San Antonio Communications Manager Luke Simons told MySA. “We received one 911 call for a smoke investigation and eight 311 calls for downed trees or limbs. Public Works, Parks and Solid Waste responded quickly, and all roadways are open with much of the downed limbs and trees removed. CPS outages in the area were minimal and are in the process of being repaired.”