NWS sent 'TAKE COVER NOW' alert amid tornado warning in San Antonio

The alert advised those in the San Antonio-area city to “TAKE COVER NOW” and “find shelter now” just after midnight on Thursday, June 12. That same alert was also issued for multiple cities in the area, including Helotes, Hill Country Village and Castle Hills.

When a tornado warning is issued, it indicates that a funnel has been sighted or detected by weather radar, according to NWS. In the alert, the NWS advised residents to seek shelter in a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, to avoid windows and to protect themselves from flying debris.

On Nextdoor, a neighborhood social app, residents shared their alarm over the alert.

Pam Christensen wrote, “I thought the sky looked a bit green when it lit up for a few seconds..toward 1604 and Bandera. Then we got the warning. It blew super hard here and then got really, really still. I was on the back porch and could feel a roar in my feet. That was a bit scary.”

Kenneth V. said in his Nextdoor post that the “erratic winds have felt a bit unstable, especially after hearing the possibility of a tornado.”

The NWS told MySA that as of 9 a.m. Thursday, it does not have any information that leads the agency to believe a tornado hit the area. An NWS meteorologist said that when a tornado warning occurs at night, they are especially hard to spot. The agency did not receive any information that there was a tornado and lifted the warning at 12:15 a.m.

A flash flood warning for San Antonio has been extended until 1:45 p.m. In the alert sent to residents, the NWS is warning there is potential for a “dangerous and life-threatening situation.”

“Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order,” the alert says.