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San Antonio Storm Knocks Out Power for Over 100,000 — Melanin News | Melanin
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San Antonio Storm Knocks Out Power for Over 100,000Culture

San Antonio Storm Knocks Out Power for Over 100,000

6d ago

San Antonio found itself plunged into darkness Friday night as severe thunderstorms tore through the city, cutting power to over 100,000 CPS Energy customers. The intense weather front left a trail of damage, prompting extensive restoration efforts that continued well into the following day across Bexar County.

At its peak, the utility reported approximately 560 distinct outages, impacting more than 101,000 customers. The hardest-hit areas included the Westside, with zip code 78207 seeing over 15,000 residents affected and zip code 78237 experiencing power loss for more than 9,000 residents. The storms, which moved swiftly, brought a barrage of heavy rain, frequent lightning, and gusty winds, with some reports indicating wind speeds reaching up to 60 mph, and even higher in certain localized bursts.

San Antonio
San Antonio Source

A meteorologist for News 4 San Antonio conveyed the storm's ferocity on social media, stating, "This storm is a beast! Winds possibly 70+ surging across Bexar County. We can feel Tower of the Americas shaking in wind. It's no longer rotating at top." The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Flash Flood Warning for San Antonio and Bexar County, which remained active until 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, August 29, 2026, cautioning that "Several inches of rain has fallen with these storms as they push southwest through Bexar County." Despite the intensity, no official tornado warning was issued.

CPS Energy crews immediately mobilized to address the extensive damage to infrastructure and property. However, the utility did not provide a system-wide estimated restoration time, advising customers that recovery timelines would vary depending on the severity of damage at each specific location. The utility communicated its efforts, stating, "Our crews are assessing damage and working safely in current conditions to restore power to our customers. Crews are responding throughout our service area, and we appreciate our community's patience as restoration efforts continue." Customers were encouraged to monitor the utility's outage map or sign up for individualized alerts for the most accurate information.

This latest weather event followed a week of volatile conditions for San Antonio. Just one day prior, on Thursday, August 27, severe thunderstorms also swept through the city, causing power outages for thousands of CPS Energy customers, predominantly on the far Northwest Side past Loop 410. At one point that Thursday evening, more than 6,400 customers were without power. These Thursday storms also led to delays in the kickoff of the high school football season at various stadiums across the city due to persistent lightning.

Power outage
Power outage Source

Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, August 26, Bexar County had been under a Heat Advisory, with afternoon temperatures soaring to 101 degrees and heat-index values climbing to 110 degrees. These sweltering conditions reportedly set the stage for the atmospheric instability that fueled the later storms. This sudden shift from triple-digit heat to severe thunderstorms is a familiar late-summer pattern for South Texas, often referred to as a "whiplash" effect.

The community's reaction highlighted the sudden and intense nature of the Friday storm. Social media user Mr Ass (@JohnchoVilla) commented on the unusual weather, noting, "San Antonio so weird man. No rain for weeks. Then this random storm that lasted all but 40 minutes was strong enough to blow transformers and knock out power that probably won't come on for hours." Another X user from Farwest Bexar detailed the significant wind damage, stating, "Farwest Bexar has been pounded by hail, heavy rain, and very strong winds; winds we've never experienced before. My lawn furniture is all over my backyard, and we're talking iron heavy chairs. Be safe." The San Antonio River Authority also issued a public safety advisory, urging residents to "Stay informed. Stay safe. With the heavy rainfall tonight, please be aware of low water crossings on your route."

The widespread outages underscore a persistent vulnerability within San Antonio's power grid, particularly in rapidly developing outer areas such as the far Northwest Side past Loop 410. In these newer extensions, the distribution grid is often susceptible to rapid impacts from strong winds and lightning. As the nation's largest municipally owned electric and gas utility, CPS Energy serves a vast territory, providing electricity to over 840,000 customers across a 1,566-square-mile area that encompasses Bexar County and seven surrounding counties.

This recent storm broke an otherwise dry spell in August, following an unusually wet spring where San Antonio recorded its rainiest start to a year since 2016, with significant rainfall in April and May. The city has experienced similar large-scale outages in the past, including a July 11 storm that affected over 15,000 customers and a May 26 event where more than 18,000 customers lost electricity. As crews continue their work, the focus remains on restoring power safely and efficiently to all affected residents, a task that tests the resilience of both the city's infrastructure and its community.