SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio experienced severe storms and flooding on June 12, 2025, killing 13 people.
>> Remembering the victims of the June 12 floods in San Antonio
The city saw its highest hourly rainfall rate since 1934 and its 10th rainiest day since 1885.
Between 2:51 a.m. and 3:51 a.m. on June 12, the city’s airport recorded 3.98 inches of rain — more than it usually gets in an entire month.
Here is a timeline of everything we know about one of the deadliest floods to hit San Antonio, along with the developments that have happened since then.
Key weather alerts
Forecasts as early as June 7 warned of possible flash flooding, and national weather outlooks began highlighting the San Antonio area for excessive rain.
NWS Weather Prediction Center highlighted potential for excessive rainfall in South Central Texas, possibly causing flash flooding. NWS outlooks a Level 2 of 4 risk (Slight) for rainfall exceeding flash flood guidance for parts of Central and South Central Texas from June 11 to the morning of June 12.
June 9
3:28 p.m.: On social media, NWS Austin/San Antonio highlights potential heavy rain during the week, with the heaviest chances on June 11–12.
June 11
7:37 p.m.: Weather Prediction Center expands the Level 3 risk area farther south to include the San Antonio metro, marking the first Level 3 risk day for San Antonio since May.
11:29 p.m.: Flash Flood Warning issued for northwest Bexar County, parts of Blanco, Comal, Hays, Kendall and Medina counties until 4 a.m. on June 12.
June 12
3:03 a.m.: NWS alerts partners to “training of storms” in northeast Bexar, southern Comal, northern Guadalupe counties; flash flood threat escalating.
4:15 a.m.: Emergency calls report vehicles stranded on Loop 410 near Perrin Beitel Road. Fifteen vehicles were swept into Beitel Creek; SAFD rescued 10 people, and two were self-rescued.
4:58 a.m.: NWS reports Leon Creek at Loop 410 rising sharply 13 feet with flow over 41,000 cubic feet per second
8:47 a.m.: Flash Flood Warning extended until 10 a.m. for central and eastern Bexar County, including Beitel Creek and portions of Guadalupe and Wilson counties.
Timeline
Thursday, June 12, 2025
4:15 a.m.: San Antonio police and firefighters began receiving calls from people stranded on the frontage road of Loop 410 near Perrin Beitel Road.
Approximately 5 a.m.: KSAT’s Alex Gamez captured footage of the San Antonio Fire Department executing a water rescue of a man stranded in tree near Beitel Creek, not far from Perrin Beitel and Austin Highway.
Shortly after, Gamez stayed in the Northeast Side and saw stalled and submerged vehicles under high water on roads.
The high water caused 15 vehicles to be swept away from the Loop 410 and Perrin Beitel access road into the creek below, according to the San Antonio Fire Department.
7:30 a.m.: Leon Creek, located near Loop 410, rose by 13 feet.
7:50 a.m.: At least five people, including two men and two women, died as a result of the flood.
By early Thursday morning, the San Antonio International Airport recorded more than six inches of rain, which was the most since May 25, 2013.
10:16 a.m.: SAFD responded to 70 high-water rescues and 24 major crashes. Firefighters responded to more than 200 weather-related calls overnight due to storms.
11:14 a.m.: CPS Energy estimated that around 30,000 people were affected by power outages during the peak of overnight storms.
An official for the utility said over 11,000 lightning strikes were received in the CPS Energy service area.
5 p.m.: Angel Richards, a spouse to one of the victims, said her husband, Stevie Richards, had second thoughts about going to work in the rain. Stevie called Angel just before he was swept away by the raging floodwater.
“The call I got, he was going into some water, and that was it,” Angel Richards said, describing the abrupt ending.
Stevie was later identified as one of the victims who died as a result of the flood.
June 13: Amid talks of million-dollar Project Marvel bonds, KSAT reached out to city councilmembers to ask about their priorities for investment. The area of Perrin Beitel and Loop 410 straddles Districts 2 and 10.
Marc Whyte (D10) told KSAT that the city’s infrastructure needs an upgrade.
“We must continue to invest in our city’s infrastructure rather than spending money on various ‘feel good’ programs and projects,” Whyte said.
“While Project Marvel could be great for our city, if done properly, and in a fiscally responsible manner, in no event should the project move forward at the expense of the day-to-day infrastructure needs in the rest of the city,”
Precinct 4 Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert said the city “must prioritize modernizing our drainage systems, expanding HALT technology, and ensuring that flood mitigation is not an afterthought, but a cornerstone of public safety.”
June 16: The City of San Antonio launched an investigation into what contributed to the deadly flooding that killed 13 people, according to a news release.
The City Attorney’s Office, Public Works, San Antonio police and SAFD were among the departments involved in the review.
June 18: The San Antonio community gathered for a vigil to remember the 13 people who died.
“I can see the pain, and I am so sorry for your loss, and your community stands with you to make sure that we understand exactly what happened and we make sure this doesn’t ever happen again,” Gina Ortiz Jones said at the vigil.
The flood happened a week before she was sworn in as San Antonio’s mayor.
June 17: The City of San Antonio and Bexar County announced they issued a joint disaster declaration.
San Antonio and Bexar County specifically sought out state support for cleanup, infrastructure stabilization and recovery operations.
June 30: The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the last missing person killed in the floods as 77-year-old Esther Chung.
Aug. 5: Nearly two months since the deadly flood, the Bexar County Commissioners Court announced a $20 million update to the county and San Antonio’s flood warning system.
Bexar County, the City of San Antonio and San Antonio River Authority will work together as the Bexar Regional Watershed Management Partnership.
Nov. 6: A study was released that recommended enhanced flood detection further downstream and revealed a 25-year rainfall event.
May 19, 2026: Bexar County invested $21 million to update its flood warning system.
Bexar County revealed its new advanced NextGen Flood Warning System, which is already installed in existing flood gauges.
13 people confirmed dead
Thirteen people were confirmed dead from the flooding, according to SAFD and the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Eleven bodies were found in the Perrin Beitel search area, one body was found several miles upstream from the search area and one was found in the Highway 90 Leon Creek area, SAFD said.
The victims were identified as:
- Martha De La Torre Rangel, 55
- Matthew Angel Tufono, 51
- Victor Manuel Macias Castro, 28
- Carlos Valdez III, 67
- Brett Riley, 63
- Rudy Garza, 61
- Andrew Sanchez, 60
- Stevie Richards, 42
- Cristine Gonzalez, 29
- Josue Pinadelatorre, 28
- Derwin Anderson, 43
- Roseann Cobb, 41
- Esther Chung, 77
According to the ME’s office, Anderson was found near Callaghan Road and Highway 90, while Cobb was found in the Wurzbach Parkway area.
The Salado Creek area is the same location where many lost their homes and businesses due to similar flooding in 1998.
Vigil held for victims
The San Antonio community gathered on June 18, 2025, to remember the 13 people whose lives were lost in severe flooding.
During the vigil, a friend of Derwin Anderson said he was a caring father who served in the military.
“Anyone who was around him and needed help, he helped,” the friend previously said. “He was an honorable man, and we will never forget him.”
She said they searched for Anderson for more than 12 hours.
Matthew Angel Tufono’s son, Tyson, said he “was the head of our family in more ways than just being our dad.”
“Don’t let this break y’all,” Tyson Tufono told victims’ families, survivors and supporters at the vigil.
Jones had attended the vigil to express her condolences.
“I can see the pain, and I am so sorry for your loss and your community stands with you to make sure that we understand exactly what happened and we make sure this doesn’t ever happen again,” Jones said. “I can’t begin to say I know how you feel because I do not. But I cannot imagine the grief that you are feeling. I want you to know we are going to do everything possible to make sure we provide you answers. They might not be good answers, I’m gonna be honest with you, but we are gonna do everything we can to ensure that we are doing what we can do to move forward and make sure that we’re doing ... we are keeping folks safe."
Historic floods in San Antonio
San Antonio’s history is marked by frequent flooding, but a handful of rain events have truly rewritten the history books.
The June 12 flood was historic in many ways. With 13 people killed, it was one of the deadliest in San Antonio. Also, it was the 10th rainiest day in its history.
However, no flooding event was as pivotal as the 1921 flood, which not only reshaped the city’s landscape but also spurred the development of the iconic River Walk.
This event had a tropical connection. On Sept. 7, a Category 1 hurricane made landfall South of Tampico, Mexico. The energy from the tropical system raced northward. By Sept. 8, rainfall in San Antonio had begun. The heaviest rainfall fell on Sept. 9.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, San Antonio first recorded rain on the morning of Sept. 8. In total, 0.54 inches were reported.
The following day, 5.38 inches fell, initiating the flooding. Sept. 10 brought an additional 1.46 inches.
The grand total was 7.38 inches.
You might be thinking that doesn’t seem that bad, but keep in mind that San Antonio was a growing city without any flood control at the time.
Click here to learn more about the 1921 flood and other catastrophic weather events in San Antonio’s history.
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