Local News

National Weather Service Confirms 9 Tornadoes from Recent Hill Country Storm System

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Tony Maples Photography

 

The National Weather Service confirmed a total of nine tornadoes touched down late Sunday and early Monday as a storm system impacted Central Texas. According to KENS5, a total of four tornadoes were confirmed across Bexar and Comal counties, where a communication tower collapsed. One tornado was rated an EF2, another was rated EF1, and two were rated EF0. The Alamo Heights tornado was the strongest, with maximum wind speeds of 120mph. At 600 yards wide, the tornado tore roofs from homes and snapped trees for 4.6 miles. EF0 tornado damage was also confirmed in Guadalupe County. The storms damaged a large communication tower, which left 44,000 San Antonio area residents without power.

KENS 5 video depicting the locations of four of the tornadoes that impacted the San Antonio area.

The line of storms then moved into Hays County, where EF1 and EF0 tornadoes were confirmed by meteorologists. The system then spawned strong tornadoes in Williamson County, where a train was derailed by a combination of straight line winds and an EF2 tornado outside of Thrall, Texas. The tornado ripped roofs from buildings, while also snapping trees and power poles. According to the NWS, it packed peak winds of 118mph, was 200 yards wide and left a damage path 9.4 miles long.

About 12 train cars, containing brand new vehicles, were blown off the tracks.

Tornado damage in Thrall, Texas.

In nearby Thorndale, a second EF2 tornado destroyed trees and power poles, tore roofs off buildings, and collapsed a grain silo. The NWS damage survey recorded maximum winds of 112mph from this 100-yard wide tornado, leaving damage for 4.24 miles in its wake.

The tornado caused one of four grain silos to collapse.

Grain silo collapse from tornado in Thorndale.

Photo: Jason Weingart

Many other areas received damaging straight line winds. In Williamson County, where winds were estimated to have reached up to 130mph, at least 10 homes were significantly damaged, along with the two dozen farm outbuildings, mobile homes, and RVs were severely damaged or destroyed.  A couple suffered minor injuries in one of the RVs. Thankfully nobody lost their lives from this destructive storm system.