Severe weather could return, but risk slight for Pittsburgh region

Areas already battered by Thursday night’s thunderstorms could be hit again Friday, but the Pittsburgh region is only at a slight risk for more severe weather, according to the National Weather Service.

Rain could return to the region by late morning, with severe thunderstorms possible from 1 p.m. through evening.

A “slight risk” is defined as a 15% to 25% chance of severe weather, according to Lee Hendricks, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon. In this case, the most likely threat is high winds.

The weather service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for a large swath of the United States. The risk is higher in states like Illinois and Wisconsin, with Pennsylvania expected to avoid the worst of the storms.

Scattered severe storms will be possible once again this afternoon & evening. Better chances for severe weather are expected north of the Mason-Dixon line where a Slight Risk has been outlooked by the SPC. Large hail and damaging wind gusts will be the primary hazards today. pic.twitter.com/m6zvgvt8Ga

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) August 28, 2020

Storms were moving southeast from Lake Erie Friday morning.

“It’s a fairly general threat across our area,” Hendricks said.

Still, residents should be cautious, especially as communities and utility companies continue to clean up the fallen trees and power lines.

A large storm swept through the Pittsburgh area Thursday, downing many trees and power lines. Winds gusts reached 60 miles per hour. Roads were closed and more than 30,000 properties lost power.

Duquesne Light Co. issued a statement Friday morning saying about 10,000 customers remained without power.

While most of the repairs are expected to be complete by the end of Friday, some could take until Saturday afternoon, according to the company.

Additional severe weather could complicate cleanup efforts, according to Hendricks. “It’s going to be a challenge if we get anywhere near the amount of damage today that we had yesterday.”