Severe storms sent power outages surging across San Antonio on Thursday night, and the number of CPS Energy customers without electricity jumped from more than 5,200 to over 6,400 in about six minutes. By 8 p.m., the utility was dealing with a fast-moving outage that had already spread across parts of the city.
The biggest concentration was on the far northwest side past Loop 410, where households and businesses were among those left in the dark. The pace of the increase mattered as much as the total: at 7:54 p.m., more than 5,200 customers were listed without power, and by 8 p.m. that figure had climbed past 6,400, a sharp rise that showed how quickly the storms were affecting the grid.
That same weather also disrupted another Thursday night routine. Frequent lightning delayed the start of the high school football season at some arenas, including a kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Comalander Stadium before the delay. The outage fit a familiar pattern for weather-related utility problems, with no sign that it was planned or routine.
What remains unsettled is restoration time. For families and businesses affected by the outage, the question is not why the lights went out but how long they will stay off, and the utility had not given a firm answer by Thursday night. For readers searching now, the key fact is already clear: the storm did not just pass through San Antonio, it left thousands waiting in the dark.
