SAN ANTONIO — Two rounds of heavy rain and strong storms pushed through San Antonio Thursday night and early Friday morning, with the first downpour putting a literal damper on the start of Fiesta.
Fiesta events were called off for the evening around 7:30 p.m. Thursday as some areas of the metro saw between four and six inches of rainfall.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was in place for Bexar and many other area counties until 2:30 a.m., and San Antonio and surrounding communities were also under a Flash Flood Warning until 3:30 a.m. Friday.
Friday and weekend forecast
KENS 5 meteorologist Paul Mireles says Friday and Saturday should be pleasant after the strong storms of Thursday night, but rainy weather will be back in the mix for Sunday and the early part of next week.
Thursday's storms at a glance
The evening's weather provided an early look at the late-spring/summer storm season in San Antonio, with multiple rounds of heavy showers, hail, lightning and strong wind gusts providing a thorn in the sides of South Texans.
Officials with the San Antonio Fire Department say they responded to more than 300 calls for service between 6:45 p.m. and 10 p.m., including nearly two dozen water rescues.
The front sparked dramatic lightning strikes on the northwest side while causing high water in downtown neighborhoods.
As of 10:30 a.m. Friday, nearly 7,000 CPS Energy customers remained without power, largely on the northwest side. That's down from about 38,000 late Thursday night.
More than 30 Bexar County roads were closed due to high water late Thursday night, but that number had decreased to 13 roads by 9 a.m.
CPS Energy said Friday morning that workers were in the process of restoring power for the remaining outages, and they would be working throughout the day.
"Viva Fiesta" turns into a scramble for shelter
Early partiers were enjoying their chicken-on-a-stick and cascarones at Fiesta Fiesta for just a couple hours Thursday afternoon before the dark clouds opened up, turning Travis Park into a muddy mess.
Vendors at the park closed up shop early and people were seen scurrying with their umbrellas, some taking shelter under tents.
One San Antonian, Rhonda Rodriguez, was prepared for the storms. She arrived suited up head to toe in Fiesta-chic raingear, crediting KENS 5's Bill Taylor with staying ahead of the storm.
Rodriguez didn't get to experience much of Day 1 of Fiesta, but the rain didn't dampen her mood very much. Or, really, anyone else's.
"I am a native San Antonian," she said. "Never going to damper my spirits."
"If I am going to have water," another resident said, "I might as well have some good water."
Fiesta 2023 gets off to a soggy, stormy start
The party didn't stop, either. As storms crackled outside, one group started playing Loteria inside. Despite Mother Nature taking over, it was still time to Fiesta.
"Rain or shine, Fiesta goes on," said one partier.
Looking ahead...
Come sunrise on Friday, the heavy storm activity will have pushed well out of the San Antonio region. A much nicer weather outlook will greet Fiestagoers Friday, when rain chances drop dramatically in favor of partly cloudy skies and highs in the mid-80s.
Similar weather is in store Saturday as well before rain chances return Sunday and stick around until midweek.
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SEVERE WEATHER 101
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.
Weather Minds Classroom: Take a class in Severe Weather 101
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