Tornado Hits San Antonio as Severe Weather Rattles South and Midwest

March 20, 2012— -- Severe weather hammered the Midwest and South from Minnesota to Texas including a tornado that touched down in San Antonio, where at least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed.

Residents across this broad region were bracing for flooding Tuesday after the severe weather brought heavy rain and hail that is anticipated to continue for the next few days. With the storm system slowing significantly, tornadoes are becoming less likely but flash flooding becomes a major concern, forecasters said.

The slow-moving weather pattern will bring thunderstorms with heavy rain as it moves over the same area, according to the National Weather Service, which said that some locations will receive a foot of rain by midweek.

The NWS reported that the tornado touched down 25 miles southwest of San Antonio on Monday evening, and that parts of the city and surrounding areas were under a tornado warning. Although some were trapped inside their homes, no fatalities were reported by early Tuesday morning.

Tornado warnings across the San Antonio area were canceled around 11 p.m. Monday, according to ABC News affiliate KSAT. Crews began assessing damage to the area late Monday night.

The sheriff's office in Medina, Texas, reported multiple injuries, but do not have a count yet.

"Pretty much all" of the approximately 50 homes damaged were completely destroyed, a representative from the office said.

Interim Fire Marshal Craig Roberts reported heavily damaged homes and five injuries, and one reported missing, according to KSAT. He said none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Strong winds in the Dallas-Fort Worth area brought major power outages, while outages were reported in Oklahoma City and in Tulsa County. Heavy rains closed roads in Oklahoma, and roofs were reportedly blown off by high winds in Minnesota.

Eight inches of rain was expected in southeastern Kansas, according to The Associated Press.

"We're looking at maybe a week of rain in that part of the state," Kansas climatologist Mary Knapp said. "That would be a very, very nice start to our spring season."

Monday's severe weather follows an EF3 twister with winds up to 165 mph that struck North Platte, Neb., on Sunday.