Tornadoes Suspected in Severe Storm Damage to Pa. Counties

(TNS) – A powerful storm swept through the area Wednesday evening, causing widespread damage and power outages as two suspected tornadoes were reported in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties.

The Westmoreland County 911 center received nearly 300 calls during the height of the storm, between 8:15 and 9 p.m., according to County Public Safety Director Bud Mertz .

He said there were reports of nine houses that were struck by fallen trees in a band of damage stretching east from the Trafford area. Among those incidents, he said.

“There were no evacuations, sheltering requests or reported injuries,” he said.

Local emergency management centers were activated in Penn, Salem and Unity townships, he said.

Penn Township was one of the hardest-hit areas, where firefighters responded when a tree fell on a pony on Pine Hollow Road Extension and other fallen trees blocked access on several roads, including Nature Lane.

The County Animal Response Team was called to assist with the injured pony.

A fallen tree damaged a private gas well along Winchester Road in North Huntingdon, near the Penn Township line, according to a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher. The dispatcher couldn’t confirm reports that neighboring residents were being evacuated.

The National Weather Service’s Pittsburgh office received reports of a barn that was destroyed along Hannastown Road north of the village of Crabtree and a PennDOT maintenance shed that was heavily damaged along the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Penn Township.

Tree damage also was reported in Derry Township and near New Florence. There were numerous reports of downed wires across the area.

Tornado touchdowns were reported about 7:45 p.m. 2 miles south of Imperial, Allegheny County, and about 8:15 p.m. in the Jeannette area, according to TribLive news partner WTAE.

Meteorologist Matthew Kramar said Wednesday night that the National Weather Service had not yet confirmed specific tornado touchdowns but had detected evidence of a tornado debris signature in Westmoreland County.

“Preliminarily, we have seen some evidence of debris on the radar. At least a couple of them were focused near Trafford and from south of Delmont to New Alexandria,” Kramar said. “Debris gets lofted up into the air, and radar can detect that.”

He said the weather service would send crews into the field to investigate potential tornado sites in the coming days.

FirstEnergy reported that, at one point, there were more than 12,600 of its customers without power in Westmoreland County as of about 10:15 p.m. and 440 in Allegheny County .

According to Duquesne Light, the storm created wind gusts reaching 40 mph causing downed trees and broken utility poles. Crews were working through the night to isolate and restore as many customers as possible, focusing first on critical and emergent needs.

At 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Duquesne Light listed about 18,000 of its customers as being without power, with power having been restored to another 13,000.

Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.

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