Western Pennsylvania did not have any official reports of a tornado touching down on Wednesday evening as strong storms and wind lashed the region, according to the National Weather Service.
“We’ve had some wind damage in some spots, especially Fayette County near Perryopolis and a little bit in Westmoreland County,” said meteorologist Bill Modzelewski. “We had a home station in Mt. Pleasant that monitored a wind gust of 65 mph.”
A flood watch was in effect until 10 p.m. for Southeastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia but expired.
“We’ve heard some minor issues like ponding of water on roads, but no flash flooding,” Modzelewski said at 8 p.m. as the tornado watch was expiring. “The rainfall rates are slowing down, but we still have some moderate rain working its way through the region.”
Meteorologist David Shallenberger said there were reports of about an inch of hail in Indiana and Fayette counties shortly after 3 p.m.
Today’s temperature high was 69, according to Shallenberger.
An initial tornado warning issued just before 2 p.m. Wednesday for the Pittsburgh area was canceled.
Risk for strong storms earlier
Meteorologist Matt Brudy said Western Pennsylvania has “a lot of wind shear in the environment,” meaning how the wind changes speed or direction. This is an ingredient that supports stronger storms, he said.
“So when you get that combined with some instability in the atmosphere, those two can come together to strengthen any existing thunderstorms and pose any of those threats,” Brudy said.
The warm weather impacts the possibility for severe storms as well, he said.
“The warmer we get, the more juice the environment has to work with,” Brudy said, “so that’s primarily the uncertainties with the rain and the clouds this morning — how warm we can get.”
Severe weather is not uncommon for Western Pennsylvania, according to Brudy.
“It’s just a day where the atmosphere is capable of supporting storms,” he said. “We just make sure that’s how we’re getting the word out ahead of time, make sure people are prepared and then to heed any watches or warnings that may come out later.”
Brudy advised locals to stay weather aware amid the incoming storm.
And in the event of a tornado, he said to stay inside a sturdy structure — on the lowest floor people can be on away from any windows.
