Harsh weather pounds regiona throughout the day
Heavy rains swept across the region Monday afternoon, wreaking havoc on area drivers, many of whom had to pull off rain-flooded roadways and wait for two separate 15-minute torrents to subside. And when the rain did slow, the county fared well despite the high winds and pelting, with minimal damage to property and roads across the region.
According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, the first storm, which moved across the region between 2:30 and 3 p.m., produced nickel-sized hail and winds around 50 mph as it rumbled through the area, but no major wind or hail damage was reported in Fayette County.
Other downpours also pounded the district throughout the day, and severe storm warnings were posted until late evening for most of the region.
A spokesman for Fayette County 911 said the center had a few “routine” reports of trees down and some sporadic disruption of power, but nothing major occurred as a result of the storm.
The spokesman also said that no major power outages had been reported as of late Monday afternoon and that few lightning strikes had been called in.
County emergency officials speculated that the storm may have caused a house fire that destroyed an abandoned home in Point Marion, but investigators could not confirm the cause of the blaze.
Volunteer firefighters from Point Marion and Smithfield battled the 2:51 p.m. blaze along Tomcat Hollow Road for several hours.
Greene County 911 could not comment on the storm’s effects on the county, but the state police at Waynesburg said despite the violent rains that fell, the station did not receive any reports of downed trees or damage as a result.
Valerie Petersen, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation, said there were “just a few reports” of trees down from the storms, most notably along May West Road in Markleysburg, where a large tree fell in the roadway.
She said there were also some minor shoulder slides, but nothing significant.
In South Union Township, a tree knocked down wires when it fell onto a car along Eggleston Street.
The National Weather Service was predicting a mostly sunny day today, with a high temperature in the mid-80s.