Lightning Strike in Texas, May 12, 2001

Name: Lightning Strike in Texas, May 12, 2001
Start: 2001-05-12T15:00
End: 2001-05-12T15:05
Location: Texas

May 12, 2001 · NWS EWX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Around 1500CST, a lightning bolt struck a tree at Brackenridge Park, knocking down two women and twin boys nearby. One of the victims was taken to the hospital.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 4
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS EWX wrote it up.

Around 1500CST, a lightning bolt struck a tree at Brackenridge Park, knocking down two women and twin boys nearby. One of the victims was taken to the hospital. The group had been walking about 40-50 yards from the tree that was struck.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Austin/San Antonio, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 12, 1:45 PM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 12, 1:45 PM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX
245 PM CDT SAT MAY 12 2001

OUTFLOW BOUNDARY STRETCHING FROM SAN ANTONIO TO DEL RIO WILL
CONTINUE TO SAG SLOWLY SOUTHWARD THIS EVENING.  UPPER MESO VORTEX
FROM PREVIOUS MCS OVER SJT AREA WILL DRIFT SOUTHWESTWARD TONIGHT.
CONVECTION WITH THE BOUNDARY LIKELY WILL DISSIPATE DURING THE NIGHT
BUT ONE OR TWO THUNDERSTORMS COULD LINGER OVER SOUTHWEST ZONES INTO
SUNDAY MORNING.  SEA BREEZE CONVECTION SHOULD DISSIPATE BEFORE
MIDNIGHT.

RESIDUAL MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL BE AROUND ON SUNDAY SO EXPECT
WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION WITH DAYTIME HEATING.  SOME DRYING IS
EXPECTED BY MONDAY AS THE UPPER RIDGE STRENGTHENS SOME...BUT
ISOLATED CONVECTION STILL POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY WITH THE SEA BREEZE.
MORE DRYING BY TUESDAY SHOULD INHIBIT ANY MENTIONABLE CONVECTION.
THE DRY WARM PATTERN SHOULD PERSIST INTO NEXT WEEKEND.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
AUS 61/85/61/85 2211
DRT 67/88/67/88 3211
SAT 66/85/67/86 2211

.EWX...NONE.

16/04/21

The radar

The Austin/San Antonio radar (KEWX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Bexar

When: May 12, 3:00 PM CST to 3:05 PM CST
Where: Bexar County, San Antonio
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 29.449, -98.520 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Texas in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Texas, May 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5243276.