San Antonio, TX Tornado History — 92 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has San Antonio, TX had?
San Antonio has had 92 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 3 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near San Antonio?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of San Antonio was an EF0 on October 26, 2023.
When is tornado season in San Antonio?
May is historically the peak month for tornadoes near San Antonio, with 20 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near San Antonio
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 18 total, averaging 0.9 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near San Antonio since December 29, 2025
These are 2 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of San Antonio. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near San Antonio
4 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of San Antonio since 1950, across 3 events. 69 injuries have been reported across all events. 1953 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on April 28, 1953, which caused 2 fatalities along a 1.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near San Antonio
About Tornadoes in San Antonio
This overview was written April 23, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
San Antonio sits at the southern edge of the Plains tornado belt and the Texas Hill Country. Its severe-weather pattern is distinct from north Texas and the High Plains — fewer classic spring supercells, but a pronounced fall peak driven by Gulf moisture surging inland behind cool fronts, occasional tornadoes embedded in tropical-system rain bands, and rare but high-impact events tied to mesoscale boundaries draped across the I-35 corridor.
The October 22, 1986 Bandera/San Antonio F2
One of the better-documented San Antonio metro events is the F2 tornado of October 22, 1986, which tracked from Bandera County into northern Bexar County, damaging homes in the Helotes and Leon Valley areas during a fall severe-weather episode. The 1986 event is often cited locally as a reminder that fall (October–November) is San Antonio's secondary tornado season — many residents associate severe weather with spring only.
The May 1995 Cedar Park/Bee Cave outbreak
The May 27, 1995 outbreak produced multiple tornadoes across the broader Austin/San Antonio corridor on a single afternoon, including F4 damage near Cedar Park. While the F4 path was north of San Antonio proper, the outbreak's southern extent reached northern Bexar County, and it remains a defining "what could happen" reference for San Antonio emergency managers. The May 1995 setup — strong southerly low-level jet, dryline trigger to the west, abundant moisture — recurs every few years across south-central Texas.
Recent metro tornadoes
The February 14, 2017 South San Antonio EF1 tracked through the city's south side overnight, damaging homes near Brooks City Base and producing widespread tree damage. The early-morning timing (3:35 AM CST) and the fact that the tornado occurred during what most residents would consider the off-season highlighted San Antonio's year-round severe-weather risk. The June 2025 western Bexar County EF2 caused significant damage to neighborhoods near Helotes and the UTSA campus during a typical late-spring squall-line setup.
Tornadoes by part of the metro
Bexar County's tornado risk is geographically uneven. The Hill Country fringe (northwest Bexar, Bandera, Kendall) sees more activity than the urban core or south side because the terrain transition there triggers convection. The I-10 corridor through Boerne and into San Antonio's far north (Stone Oak, La Cantera, Dominion) has seen multiple EF1+ events. South Bexar (Pleasanton, Pearsall) gets less but has been hit by tropical-cyclone tornadoes embedded in landfalling Gulf systems.
What this means for San Antonio residents today
San Antonio's preparedness culture is less ingrained than Plains metros — the typical resident is far more focused on flash flood risk (rightfully so; SA gets some of the most extreme rainfall events in the country). Tornado-specific shelter is rare in San Antonio housing stock; most homes don't have basements (high water table, expansive clay), and built-in storm shelters are uncommon. Bexar County emergency management recommends interior rooms on the lowest floor, and reminds residents that vehicles offer no protection during a tornado warning.
For nighttime alerting — the 2017 South San Antonio event was a 3:35 AM example of why this matters — phone-call alerts are the most reliable layer. NWS San Antonio (EWX, in New Braunfels) issues warnings with consistently long lead times for the south-central Texas region.