NORTH HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- Strong storms tossed trees onto cars and left a trampoline hanging in power lines in Westmoreland County on Tuesday evening, leaving behind thousands of power outages and tree limbs strewn throughout the area.
The National Weather Service indicated the storms were capable of producing gusty winds to near 40 mph, dangerous lightning, small hail and brief, heavy downpours.
WTAE Channel 4's Jennifer Miele reported that winds from strong storms blew a trampoline into utility lines on Pennsylvania Avenue, hanging above the local Prudential office in North Huntingdon Township.
The storm flooded the Shafton ball fields, washing much of one field away. A father was watching his daughter's game found a fallen tree had smashed into his car, shattering the glass and smashing the roof.
"He said, 'Can you bring your saw down? The trees (went) through my car, blew my windows out, smashed the roof in. Just come down and cut the tree off,'" said Dale Anlauf, whose son's car was damaged. "You couldn't see the car because it was covered by all the trees."
North Huntingdon Township police and firefighters tried to clear debris and trees from dozens of roads across the township, including a tree on Clay Pike that toppled onto utility lines.
"A lot of high winds and heavy wind came through here. It came out of, basically, nowhere. There was hardly any warning. We got hammered with some rain, a lot of wind. There are trees down all over the township here," Hahntown Assistant Volunteer Fire Chief Mike Loeffler said.
The damage caused power outages throughout the area, leaving firefighters to direct traffic at major intersections.
In nearby Irwin, road crews worked through the night to clear fallen trees, including on Oak Street where huge branches were cut up and carried away.
Miele reported that many road signs will have to be replaced. Paintertown Road through to Penn Township remained closed through the 11 p.m. hour.
The storms also caused heavy damage in Washington County, where strong winds forced a barn roof to cave in on Route 844 in Independence Township. Bob Briggs, the owner of the barn, was at choir practice when he got news of the collapse.
"It blew so hard, it lifted the barn, slid it about 8 feet (away)," Briggs said. "(The) wind was so great, it blew a hole in the roof."
Briggs said he will start over rebuilding the barn, which was being rebuilt after a fire in February.
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Trampoline Hangs Precariously On Power Line
