Some Duquesne Light customers in the region might not have electrical power returned until Sunday or later, the utility estimated, following Monday evening’s storms that rolled through parts of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

The utility estimated that all customers would have power restored by 1 p.m. on Sunday, with many customers expected to be restored sooner.

“Customers who remain without power should consider alternate arrangements to stay cool and safe — especially during this historic heat wave,” an announcement read. “With the potential for more storms and heat-related issues this week, the estimated time of restoration could move into next week. “

Contractors and mutual assistance crews from American Electric Power (AEP) in Ohio and West Virginia are helping with repairs.

“We understand how inconvenient losing your electric service can be—especially during this extended heat wave,” said Kristy Stone, chief customer officer for Duquesne Light.

“Our DLC crews have been working tirelessly through the heat and continued severe weather to assess damage, make things safe for our customers and restore power to homes and businesses. We extend our deep appreciation for everyone’s patience while we work as safely and quickly as possible.”

Some affected First Energy customers in Allegheny County and nearby areas may not have electrical service restored until 11 p.m. Wednesday.

“There’s significant work to be done,” said First Energy spokesman Todd Meyers. “There was a lot of damage, with a lot of trees down.”

The utility estimated that some other affected customers in Westmoreland County should see their power back by 11 p.m. Tuesday.

The loss of electricity was ill-timed, as high temperatures are expected to exceed 90 degrees for much of the remainder of the week.

The National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh office has issued an excessive heat warning, indicating prolonged dangerous hot conditions — with heat index values ranging between 105 and 110 degrees — are likely through 8 p.m. Friday in Westmoreland, Allegheny, Butler, Beaver, Fayette and Washington counties.

Around 9 a.m. Wednesday, First Energy reported service outages for about 4,000 customers in Pennsylvania, down from nearly 25,000 at 6 p.m. Monday. Outages affected 85 customers in Westmoreland County Wednesday morning, reduced from about 6,200 without power in the county on Monday night.

About 340 First Energy customers were waiting for power to be restored in Allegheny County.

Just before 9 a.m. Wednesday, Duquesne Light reported about 8,800 customers without electricity, down from about 85,000 who were in the dark during the peak of outages Monday night.

Among areas with the largest remaining outages Wednesday morning were: Pittsburgh’s Esplen neighborhood, with about 1,500; Hampton, with about 1,400; Pine, with about 940; and Shaler, with about 730.

In Verona, Arthur J. DeMor Tower, a senior high-rise with about 60 apartments, lost power at about 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to TribLive news partner WTAE-TV. Overnight, first responders checked on residents and the Red Cross was helping to find temporary accommodations for them, WTAE reported.

A person who answered a phone at the apartment building said power was restored there Tuesday morning.

Duquesne Light said Monday’s storm, with wind gusts of up to 60 mph, had the most significant impact on its customers in the region since a windstorm in February 2019 that affected about 130,000 customers.

Using 80 extra crews drawn from contractors and other utility companies, Duquesne was responding to more than 1,000 instances of storm-related trouble on Monday, including downed trees and broken utility poles. The worst damage was in northern areas of its service territory.

Meyers said First Energy was calling upon some of its crews from other areas to help repair the damage to its Southwestern Pennsylvania infrastructure.

“They did work throughout the night and got a lot of customers restored,” he said Tuesday morning.

But he said the hot, humid weather and the large numbers of fallen limbs provided an extra challenge for the workers.

“You’ve got to move all the tree debris out of way before you can replace poles or get wires off the ground,” Meyers said.

Meanwhile, the workers, who are clad in heavy protective gear when working around power lines, have to take frequent breaks, stay hydrated and watch each other for any signs of heat exhaustion in the oppressive weather.

Just as the utility crews have to be careful when making repairs, Meyers said members of the public who encounter a downed power line should always assume it is a live wire and should keep their distance.

“You should treat it as potentially energized and stay at least 30 feet away, which is the length of a school bus,” he said.

Damage resulting from Monday’s storm include a tree that fell on a house in Richland Township, Allegheny County, and another that fell along Babcock Boulevard in McCandless, striking a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus with some of its branches.

According to WTAE, three people were inside the dwelling at the time, while there were no passengers in the bus. No injuries were reported in either incident.

Find a way to stay cool, cooling centers for PA can be found here: https://t.co/NqSv9Io71q

Temperatures by early afternoon will once again be very uncomfortable. pic.twitter.com/kAIpXjVXEc

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) June 18, 2024

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