WEATHER WATCH: Flash Flood Warning in effect for Bexar, Medina and Uvalde counties; Heavy rain arriving in San Antonio

TEXAS, USA — The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Warning for Bexar County until 3:15 p.m. Saturday. Radar-indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain are moving into the county from the west. The expected rainfall rate is 1 to 2.5 inches in 1 hour. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible. The area is saturated, and any additional heavy rainfall will lead to rapid runoff. Flash flooding is the main threat. If you’re on the road, don’t drive into water. Turn around, don’t drown.

A Flash Flood Warning also was issued for southern Medina County and southeastern Uvalde County until 2:15 p.m. Saturday. A strong band of thunderstorms moving east is producing heavy rain, gusty winds in excess of 40 mph and small hail, according to the National Weather Service. Additionally, due to the heavy rain, minor flooding is also possible.

The National Weather Service has issued a Significant Weather Advisory for central Atascosa, Bexar, south-central Comal, southwestern Guadalupe and Wilson counties:

“At 12:30 p.m., Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along a line extending from near Sea World to 6 miles south of Stinson Municipal Airport to Pleasanton. Movement was northeast at 30 mph.

Winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with these storms.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms, and may lead to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.”

Meteorologist Andrew Wilson is bringing you the latest information in the San Antonio area:

As of 12:30 p.m. Saturday, more than a dozen Bexar County roads were closed due to high water danger, mainly on the north and northwest sides. Those closures can be seen below. Around midnight, 30 roads were closed to the conditions.

There is a marginal for severe storms Saturday, with the main threats being large hail and isolated tornadoes.

“The risk for severe weather over the weekend is a one out of five risk, meaning the threat will be much lower compared to what we had Wednesday night, but it should still be taken seriously,” KENS 5 meteorologist Andrew Wilson said.

Flash flooding is forecast to be the main risk with the storms over the weekend with multiple waves of heavy rain passing through, putting down high amounts of rainfall in short periods of time.

Shower activity will pick-up throughout the day on Saturday with increased shower and thunderstorm activity into the early afternoon.

This is also when we will have the chance for strong storms.

By 2:30 p.m., a bulk of the heavy showers and storms will move over the Coastal Plains region, which is also where some of the higher rainfall totals are expected.

As we move into Saturday evening, most of the storms will start to move out of the region and drier conditions will move in by Sunday morning.

Expect rain totals east of I-35 to be anywhere from 2.5″ to 6″ and those west of I-35 may see anywhere from 1.5″ to 3″ of rain.

Remember to avoid flooded areas and never try to drive through flood waters.

This is a developing weather event. Refresh the page for the latest updates.

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BE STORM READY: What to do before, during and after a storm

When severe weather threatens the area, it is important to know what risks a storm can bring and what you should do to stay safe. 

One of the most important things to know is where you are located on a map, so when a watch or warning is put into place, you can identify if you are at risk. When the National Weather Service puts out warnings, they are county-based and sometimes include cities as well. It is important to know where you live in the county and that you can identify it on a map.

It is also important to know the difference between a watch and a warning. A watch means that conditions are favorable for something to happen, but a warning means that something has developed and it is important to take action.

So, what would cause a thunderstorm to be qualified as a “severe” thunderstorm?

Hail that is one inch large is also considered to be about the size of a quarter.

Another ingredient that would lead to a storm becoming severe is if winds are 58 mph or greater.

Winds at this strength could cause damage to roofs and could even cause trees to be knocked down.

Finally, if a tornado is present inside a thunderstorm it would qualify the storm as becoming severe.

In this instance, a tornado warning would be issued.

A tornado watch can be issued for an area if strong storms are expected, and if the storms bring the risk for tornadoes, but not all storms include the threat for tornadoes. The ingredients in the atmosphere for a tornado to form are not always there when storms are present.

If the area you are in is ever under a tornado warning, it is important to know where you should go inside your home.

Head to the lowest, interior room of your home. The basement would be best, but if you don’t have one, head to the first floor of the home and get away from exterior walls, or walls that lead to the outside of the home.

It is also important to stay away from glass. The more walls you can put between you and the outside, the better.

While lightning can be frequent in storms and very dangerous, it does not lead to a storm being qualified as severe.

Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors.

Storms can also lead to flooding. Flooding may not cause a storm to be labeled as being severe, but it is the deadliest kind of weather.

South Texas is known to have major flood events every few years, so it is important to use caution and to always stay out of floodwaters. Remember, turn around, don’t drown.

Entering flood water is very dangerous as you can be swept off of your feet and you don’t know what could be in the water that could hurt you.

The best thing you can do to be ready for severe weather is know what you will do in the event it strikes where you live.

Make sure your family has a severe weather action plan.

Have a place everyone goes inside your home and keep supplies there, such as food, medication, batteries, and flashlights.

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