Flood waters have receded in Westmoreland County after a day of storms that pushed the Pittsburgh area ahead of 2018’s record-setting precipitation.
Roads that were closed by flooding Thursday had reopened by Friday morning, according to a Westmoreland 911 dispatcher.
A section of Guffey Road in the southwestern part of North Huntingdon Township was down to one lane Friday morning after a landslide, according to PennDOT. Traffic between Mickanin and Turner Valley roads was being controlled by stop signs. In addition, Pine Hollow Road is closed indefinitely between Pine Hollow Extension and the Penn Township line, according to the township’s road department.
The township also was the site of a large sinkhole that opened up outside of North Huntingdon KinderCare on Norwin Avenue, forcing its evacuation. The center was to be closed until at least Monday.
A large drainage pipe collapsed and crews were working to repair it. Flood kits were available for township residents at Town Hall.
Local communities, including North Huntingdon, and PennDOT have been besieged by landslides since 2018. The township recently spent thousands of dollars to fix Haywood Road, which was damaged last year in a landslide.
Lynch Field in Greensburg, a frequent flooding site, still showed remnants of Thursday’s deluge on Friday morning, as the field below Veterans Memorial Pool remained filled with standing water. However it was a far cry from 24 hours ago, when flooding conditions allowed for a little recreational kayaking.
Thursday’s rain pushed the region ahead of 2018’s year-to-date precipitation amounts, according to the National Weather Service.
Rainfalls recorded at Pittsburgh International Airport Thursday brought the total so far to 30.02 inches, putting it ahead of the record-breaking 29.35 inches recorded last year.
Most areas in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties had experienced up to about 2 inches of rainfall during a 24-hour period that ended Thursday at 5:30 p.m. More than 3 inches of rain fell in Greensburg, Fox Chapel and Oakmont.
Rain gauges at the Penn Township municipal building and public works garage recorded 2.46 inches and 2.81 inches of precipitation Thursday, township manager Alex Graziani said in a Facebook post. A gauge at the Penn Township Sewage Authority in Level Green recorded 3.43 inches of rain, he said.
The heavy rains closed parts of several roads, including Route 119 in Youngwood and Hempfield, and prompted water rescues from homes and vehicles as creeks and streams overflowed their banks.
Power had been restored to the majority of West Penn Power customers by Friday morning.
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