UVALDE — Slow-moving storms drenched much of southern Texas with heavy rain on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, as the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado touched down in the northwestern part of San Antonio near Interstate 10 that morning. The extreme weather prompted dozens of high-water rescues, mandatory evacuations in parts of Uvalde County, and a disaster declaration from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for 59 counties.

The confirmed tornado crossed Interstate 10 between The Dominion and Shavano Park with northeast movement, according to the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio office. Videos posted on social media showed what appeared to be a small twister and power flashes near the funnel cloud. Local officials reported that apartment buildings and other properties were damaged by the tornado. Despite the destruction, there have been no reports of deaths or injuries from the tornado or the flooding.

Downpours washed out roads and farmland across the region, and heavy rains stranded motorists and washed out highways in south Texas. Highways and roads were closed across the region because of high water, including parts of a highway near Uvalde. The Leona River poured over low bridges in Uvalde on Wednesday, and riverbanks were strewn with debris, including branches, grass, plastic bags and a cactus.

Uvalde County officials tallied 25 rescues as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, part of dozens of high-water rescues across the region. Five people were rescued by the Texas Game Warden Search and Rescue Team, and four others were rescued by a local game warden, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Maggie Berger.

Authorities ordered mandatory evacuations for some parts of Uvalde County, and Uvalde police first responders notified affected people directly. Police also warned people along the Leona River to get to higher ground after stating the river was expected to rise another 15 feet. The Uvalde Police Department said a dam in the northern part of the county was still intact as of 1 p.m.

Wednesday. In nearby Boerne, a city of about 24,000 located northwest of San Antonio, authorities urged residents in several areas to either evacuate voluntarily or prepare to shelter in place. Boerne is among the communities included in Abbott’s disaster declaration.

Warnings of potentially dangerous flash flooding were in effect for some areas, including a flash flood warning in the San Antonio area. Monte Oaks, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the highest level of concern for potentially dangerous flooding Wednesday was for areas west of San Antonio and north of Route 90. The National Weather Service said, “Intense rain rates and compounding effects from multiple rounds of storms will result in a dangerous flash flooding threat through Thursday.” The deluge was forecast to continue through Thursday evening, with torrential downpours expected in the San Antonio metro area through Wednesday afternoon.

The National Service said as much as 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 centimeters) of rain was possible in some places before the storms move out. The highest rainfall totals so far have been up to 16 inches in Uvalde County, where normal annual rainfall is about 23 inches, according to the Uvalde County Extension Office. On Tuesday, storms dumped up to 16 inches of rain in some rural areas of the state.

More than a foot of rain has already fallen, with more expected. Rainfall totals between 3 and 7 inches were forecast over the next 24 hours, with isolated higher totals of up to 15 inches possible. Most areas of the San Antonio metro area were expected to receive between 2 and 4 inches of rain.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued disaster declarations for 59 Texas counties. Abbott stated that rescue teams, Blackhawk helicopters, and state personnel were deployed to respond to the danger. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center had issued a Level 1 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms for south-central Texas through Wednesday, but parts of the region were later upgraded to a rare level 4 “high” risk of excessive rainfall. The SPC also warned that another tornado or two would be possible through Wednesday afternoon.

In Kerr County, officials were in contact with summer camps and retreat centers near rising rivers. Areas of central Texas, including the Hill Country and Kerrville, remained at risk of excessive rainfall, with Kerrville areas at moderate risk of flash flooding. Uvalde is located 80 miles west of San Antonio.

The current flooding emergency unfolds against the backdrop of two recent catastrophic flood events in the same region. An area bordering the Guadalupe River experienced flash flooding two years ago, on July 15, 2024, that killed at least 139 people. Catastrophic flooding in Kerr County on July 15, 2025, killed more than 100 people. These past disasters have heightened awareness and urgency in official responses to current flood threats.

Emergency crews had already made at least two dozen rescues across the region on Tuesday, July 14, before Wednesday’s intensification. Authorities posted videos on Tuesday showing a rescue crew in a boat navigating flooded streets and another showing a vehicle being swept away by fast-moving waters. Frances McNamara, a resident near the Leona River, described how water rushed through a ditch next to her home with enough force to sound like a river on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, she pointed to a solid line of dirt, branches and twigs about 8 feet above the river where the water had reached the day before. “We’ve seen the water rise, but not to this extent,” McNamara said. “It scared me. Cause I have a son, and to know what those parents went through.”