Thousands could remain without power in Western Pa. until Wednesday night
Tens of thousands of Western Pennsylvania households who lost power during Sunday’s wind storms could be waiting until Wednesday night for their electricity to be restored.
Nearly 30,000 Duquesne Light customers and more than 28,000 West Penn Power customers in the region remained dark Monday night, the utility companies reported.
As of 8 p.m. Monday, West Penn Power’s outages continued to affect about 9,600 customers in Westmoreland County, 6,300 in Washington County, 3,500 in Butler County and nearly 2,000 in Allegheny County, the utility reported.
Crews scrambled to repair damage from the previous day’s high winds that toppled miles of trees, power lines and utility poles, knocked out traffic signals at major intersections and spurred a slew of business and school closures.
Duquesne Light described the outage — which at its height affected 125,000 Duquesne Light customers in Allegheny and Beaver counties — as ranking among the top three largest service interruptions the utility has recorded in the past 20 years.
About 800 utility workers — more than half of Duquesne Light’s personnel — responded to weather-related damage, including at least 125 downed poles and more than 500 downed wires spanning about 16 miles, or roughly the distance from Downtown Pittsburgh to Pittsburgh International Airport, the utility said. Crews working 16-hour shifts had restored power to more than 92,000 customers by 4:30 p.m. Monday, the utility said.
“While the high winds have moved out of the area, debris, at-risk trees and other objects can still cause outages,” Duquesne Light said in a statement. “DLC estimates that the majority of customers will be restored by late Wednesday night. We appreciate your continued patience.”
Here’s a look at some of the damage caused from the 24-hour windstorm. High winds slowed restoration efforts until this morning. Currently, nearly 800 DLC personnel are working around the clock to restore power. Majority of customers will have power by late Wednesday night. pic.twitter.com/uuIXIGv5uY
— Duquesne Light (@DuquesneLight) February 25, 2019
Emergency warming centers opened across the region, including locations in Monroeville, North Versailles, Kennedy, Collier and West View and at recreation and senior centers in the city of Pittsburgh.
Wind speeds Sunday night peaked between about 8 and 10 p.m. Sunday night, National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Frazier said.
At Pittsburgh International Airport, officials logged at 8:20 p.m. a wind speed of about 61 mph — the fastest wind gust not related to a thunderstorm recorded there since 1952, the weather service said. Winds reached the same speed at Allegheny County Airport around 9:12 p.m.
At 8:20pm last night Pittsburgh International Airport gusted to 61 mph. That is the highest recorded wind gust (not related to a thunderstorm) that has been recorded since the airport has been built in 1952.
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) February 25, 2019
The highest speed in the tri-state area of 74 mph was reported in Tucker County, West Virginia, around 10 p.m.
A wind gust reached a high of 74 mph in Tucker County, West Virginia, around 10 p.m.
Emergency dispatchers in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler and Westmoreland counties did not report any significant weather-related injuries.
Residential and public property damage reports still are being collected and tallied, Frazier said.
A triangle-shaped area formed by Jeannette, Greensburg and New Stanton appeared to be have been the hardest-hit in Westmoreland.
Emergency warming centers opened across the region, including locations in Monroeville, North Versailles, Kennedy, Collier and West View and at recreation and senior centers in the city of Pittsburgh.
The American Red Cross opened a shelter at Allegheny Alliance Church, 250 E. Ohio Street, and city of Pittsburgh recreation centers are being used as warming shelters during daytime hours.
The @RedCrossGPA opened a shelter at Allegheny Alliance Church (250 E. Ohio St). Anyone still without power is encouraged to find refuge there.
Plus, city rec centers are open on regular schedules.
Follow @PghPublicSafety for news of additional openings. https://t.co/HjIxD6Gg7Z— Pgh Public Safety (@PghPublicSafety) February 25, 2019
West Homestead: Warming Center has opened at the West Homestead Fire Department Station 292 located at 447 W. 8th Avenue.
— Allegheny County (@Allegheny_Co) February 26, 2019
East McKeesport: A warming center is being opened at the United Volunteer Fire/Rescue Station 135 at 600 Broadway Avenue.
— Allegheny County (@Allegheny_Co) February 25, 2019
Emergency dispatchers in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler and Westmoreland counties did not report any significant weather-related injuries early Monday. Numerous downed trees and wires were reported across all four counties.
Residential and public property damage reports still are being collected and tallied, Frazier said.
Most primary roads remained open.
But in Westmoreland County, downed trees and wires closed White Cloud Road from Melwood to Bonfire Short Cut roads in Allegheny Township until about 7 p.m. Monday, and Route 366 between Exton Lake to Beech roads in Washington Township until about 4 p.m. Monday, PennDOT officials said.
⚠ Treat ANY downed or low-hanging wire as live and dangerous. STAY FAR AWAY! Extra caution should be used in areas where downed lines are tangled in trees or other debris.
? Report ASAP ➡ 888-544-4877 or 911 pic.twitter.com/0YSo68cPgU
— West Penn Power (@W_Penn_Power) February 26, 2019
Around 9 a.m., Jefferson Hills police said that Coal Valley Road was closed between Jefferson Hospital and Route 885 because of downed power lines. The road remained open between Route 51 and the hospital.
For a list of county-owned roads that are currently closed due to downed trees and/or wires: https://t.co/LVsRHKyQHe
— Allegheny County (@Allegheny_Co) February 25, 2019
Port Authority reported that a downed tree impacted the Blue Line Library rail line between Library Station and Washington Junction. It was cleared around 8 a.m.
In Allegheny County, Maytide Street was blocked between Brownsville Road and Route 51, and wires were down in the 1400 block of Graham Boulevard in Wilkinsburg, a 911 dispatcher reported shortly before 5 a.m.
There is a downed tree impacting the Blue Line Library rail line (inbound + outbound) between Library Station and Washington Junction. Bus shuttles are avaibale between Library and Washington Junction. Customers should allow additional time for travel.
— Port Authority PGH (@PGHtransit) February 25, 2019
Many school districts were operating under two-hour delays Monday morning, including Pittsburgh Public Schools. Some schools in some districts were closed because of outages. A full list of delays and closings can be found on the website of Tribune-Review news partner WPXI-TV.
Today, Monday, February 25, 2019, Pittsburgh Public Schools will be operating on a two hour delay. The following schools are closed today:
PITTSBURGH CONCORD
PITTSBURGH MANCHESTER
PITTSBURGH SCHILLER
PITTSBURGH WHITTIER— Pgh Public Schools (@PPSnews) February 25, 2019
The region will get a bit of a break with drier weather for the next day or two, Frazier said. Wednesday night through Thursday could bring some light rain and snow to the area, particularly in communities north of Interstate 80, Frazier said. Any snow accumulation isn’t likely to total more than an inch.
Brian C. Rittmeyer, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at brittmeyer@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.