SAN ANTONIO, Texas — The National Weather Service (NWS) has confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in San Antonio’s Dignowity Hill Historic District on July 15, weeks after initially identifying only a tornado that struck the city’s northwest side.
The tornado developed shortly after 5 a.m. and carved a path through several blocks of the east-side neighborhood, damaging homes, businesses and other structures. The NWS confirmed the tornado after reviewing surveillance video and storm data.
Resident Mary Ellen Hardee said she was awake when the tornado struck.
She said conditions were calm with no rain or thunder before she heard a loud roar accompanied by powerful winds that lasted only a few seconds.
Surveillance footage from a nearby business captured debris flying through the air as the tornado passed. The storm also peeled back part of a building’s roof.
The tornado damaged construction fencing at the Ella Austin Community Center, tore part of the roof from a historic home near Sherman and Hackberry streets, uprooted a street sign and its concrete base, and ripped the brick façade from San Antonio Upholstery Supply on North Mesquite Street.
Marshall Dilling, whose business sustained roof damage, said he only learned what had happened after neighbors asked for surveillance footage.
The strongest winds lasted about 12 seconds, leaving a trail of damage across the neighborhood.
Despite the destruction, the San Antonio Fire Department said no injuries were reported and no emergency calls were received related to the tornado. Workers and residents instead focused on cleaning up the damage.