San Antonio is considered to have relatively low rainfall by U.S. standards.

Specifically, the average annual rainfall is about 80cm (approximately 31 inches).

This is slightly less than or similar to the U.S. average rainfall (about 88cm or 34.5 inches), but due to regional characteristics, rain tends to come in short bursts.

In the summer, localized heavy rain and thunderstorms often occur along with humid heat, while winter and spring are generally dry. A comparison can be summarized as follows:

Seattle: receives about 94cm annually, with frequent light rain

Los Angeles: receives about 38cm annually, very dry

Houston: receives about 126cm annually, much wetter than San Antonio due to its coastal location, and has hurricane risks.

San Antonio is a typical semi-arid region, where rain is not frequent, but when it does come, it tends to come all at once.

So, on the early morning of June 12, a heavy downpour resulted in 6 to 7 inches of rain. In fact, residents of San Antonio reported that flash flooding alerts kept ringing on their phones since the night of the 11th.

The rainfall that day was nearly unprecedented for San Antonio, with levels not seen in over a decade. It poured for several hours, leading to urban flooding.

The areas most affected were around Loop 410 and the drainage area known as Perrin Beitel Creek. The water rose so suddenly that vehicles on nearby roads were swept away by the rushing water.

And... tragically, this heavy rain resulted in the loss of 13 lives.

Most of the victims were in their cars and could not escape the rushing water. Among the identified victims were individuals in their 20s and 60s.

Rescue teams that responded quickly managed to rescue over 70 people, but in many cases, it was already too late.

Afterward, the city officially declared a disaster, and the newly elected mayor attended a candlelight vigil with the citizens.

He spoke about "identifying those responsible" and "ensuring this doesn't happen again," but the citizens' response seems to be one of cautious observation for now.

San Antonio has below-average rainfall nationally, but it is also a region that occasionally experiences flooding due to heavy rain.