Thunderstorms pound region
A double dose of rainstorms Wednesday, on top of a downpour Tuesday night, left the area waterlogged and inundated emergency crews with reports of downed trees and flooding. Fayette and Greene counties felt the brunt of pounding thunderstorms Wednesday morning and afternoon that left cumulative rainfall totals of 1 to 21/2 inches in the northern areas and 2 to as much as a sporadic 4 inches in the southern portion of the district and at the border with West Virginia.
According to a spokesperson for Fayette County 911, flooding was reported in Masontown and along Route 166 in Jefferson Township, and power outages were reported in Brownsville.
“We have trees down all over the county,” the spokesperson said.
State police at Waynesburg reported similar conditions in Greene County. A spokesperson said debris littered area roadways, and state Department of Transportation crews were at work removing downed trees. A Greene County emergency dispatcher said the 911 center logged some reports of water in basements and over roadways in the area, from Carmichaels and south toward the West Virginia border.
While Greene and Fayette suffered from the barrage of storms crossing southwestern Pennsylvania, Washington County 911 said the storm created little damage.
“There has not been a lot at all, and it is surprising with all the rain we had,” shift supervisor Diane Robb said.
Allegheny Power crews worked throughout the day and into the evening to restore electrical service to affected areas, according to spokesman Jay Johnson. He said the utility workers planned to continue working into the night and later, if needed, until all service was restored.
He said the power outages throughout Pennsylvania began around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and continued with Wednesday morning’s rains, affecting about 57,000 customers. By 6:30 p.m., the power company had restored service to 46,367 customers; however, Johnson said another 4,700 customers lost service when the late afternoon storms hit.
In the Uniontown area, Johnson said, about 400 of about 2,200 customers remained without service late Wednesday evening. In Waynesburg, he said, all of about 740 customers who lost service throughout the day had their power restored by late evening.
National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Redmond said a cold front sitting over the area, on top of humid air for about three days, was to blame for the meteorological display. The storms followed that front from Michigan to Illinois and Indiana into Pennsylvania.
A downburst Tuesday night included strong winds but not as much rain as Wednesday’s deluge, but the water remained and caused flooding when the subsequent storms hit the district, Redmond said.
“We were just at the point where we needed rain and we got it,” said mountain-area weather observer Jack Hughes.
Hughes said the mountain-area weather station recorded about 2.25 inches of rain collectively from Wednesday’s storms, which featured thunder and lightning along with heavy rain.
“This was caused by some very warm and humid air hanging around a few days and cooler air from Canada pushing against it,” Hughes said.
“The skies opened up this afternoon (Wednesday) and reformed another batch along the Mason-Dixon line this evening,” he said.
He noted the second round of storms eased up around 6 p.m. and moved out of the area.
Area residents may expect a reprieve today.
“It will be a nice morning (Thursday), with some fog but cooler and not as muggy,” Redmond said, adding that temperatures will remain in the low to mid 80s today.
Redmond said that by this afternoon the muggy conditions might return, with rain developing Friday morning and possibly continuing later in the day.
Redmond noted high temperatures should hover near the 70s toward the weekend.