PITTSBURGH -- Thursday morning brought new views of the damage left behind by a slow-moving, severe thunderstorm that broke a rainfall record in the Pittsburgh area on Wednesday.
The storm left behind power outages, shut roadways and flooded neighborhoods.
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Flooding Turns Electric Avenue Into Raging River Weather Watch 4: Latest Forecast,
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Interactive Radar A widespread storm system darkened the southwestern Pennsylvania sky and moved into the Pittsburgh region by 7 p.m. Earlier in the evening, NWS officials issued a tornado watch for the entire WTAE Channel 4 Action News viewing area, essentially south of Interstate 80, until 10 p.m.
The NWS issued several weather advisories throughout the evening, the most severe of which first blanketed the suburbs along the Parkway East in Allegheny County into south central Westmoreland County, then took effect for the southwestern corner of the state.
Flooding and weather conditions were so severe that some communities declared states of emergency, including Turtle Creek, Wilkinsburg and Reserve Township.
The storm ignited fires that fully engulfed houses, flooded entire neighborhoods, kept emergency crews from leaving their stations and knocked out power to tens of thousands. Lightning struck a house in Plum, sparking a fully engulfed fire at the house on Pin Oak Court in the Windy Oaks Estates.
Several thousand lightning strikes were recorded by the minute at the height of the storm. Weather Watch 4 reported that Wednesday's rainfall broke a new record with 2.88 inches. The last record was set in 1973 with 1.07 inches. The storm also produced hail in sizes of peas to golf balls to eggs.
Water Takes Over Pittsburgh-Area Streets
Pittsburgh police have assigned some officers to other areas in the city, particularly, Squirrel Hill, to assist with flooding calls. By 11:30 p.m., Pittsburgh's River Rescue Team, with help from Baldwin and Ross West View EMS crews, responded to 29 calls for people trapped in cars. Crews successfully responded to all of the calls, rescuing 14 people. The city also reported 16 structure fires.
Water took over streets from North Huntingdon Township and Rostraver in Westmoreland County, to New Castle in Lawrence County and all throughout Allegheny County. A fire station in North Huntingdon Township was flooded so significantly that crews couldn't open the doors to get the trucks out.
WTAE Channel 4's Jon Greiner reported roads throughout the region were flooded, making travel slow, or stopping it altogether. WTAE Channel 4's Tara Edwards reported that power out in Wilkinsburg left Penn Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods in the dark.
"The light was red. When the light turned green, all this water came rushing off the side street," said Robert Pennix, whose car was stranded.
On Bates Street in Pittsburgh, a car got stuck under the overpass, submerged in water, WTAE Channel 4's Sheldon Ingram reported. On Second Avenue, the storm shut down traffic and stalled more vehicles.
In Oakland, business owners were disrupted by power flickering on and off as heavy water and the sheer spectacle of such a powerful storm left many in awe.
Kevin Segal, a restaurant owner, said he has seen "a lot of flooding, a lot of heavy rain, a lot of sewers backing up. This is the worst I've seen it in about five years."
Low-lying intersections trapped dozens and dozens of vehicles throughout the city. In Homewood, drivers were caught by surprise and were left stranded on Braddock Avenue.
Pittsburgh public works director Guy Costa told WTAE Channel 4 Action News that high water has closed numerous city streets, and minor landslides have occurred with a large volume of water.
"It is amazing how quickly how these intersections have caught water and closed up," Costa said.
Among the major roads closed in the city included the Hot Metal Bridge, Allegheny River Boulevard, Beechwood Boulevard, Noblestown Road, the East Busway, Washington Boulevard near the Highland Park Bridge and Second Avenue in Pittsburgh.
Costa said many areas in Squirrel Hill, the West End and Elliott were significantly affected with flooded intersections, manhole covers coming loose and cars stuck. Costa said many people were standing on the roof of their cars, awaiting rescue.
"It will be interesting to see daylight to see the damage in the area," Costa said.
Among the numerous road closures due to flooding, PennDOT officials called WTAE Channel 4 Action News with the following traffic updates in the Pittsburgh area:
- The 10th Street bypass headed downtown is closed due to flooding
- The Penn Hills and Edgewood off-ramps from the Parkway East are closed in both directions due to flooding
- The Fort Pitt Tunnels lost power
- Route 65 shut down in Bellevue
Check Pittsburgh traffic updates before you get behind the wheel, right here on ThePittsburghChannel.The Port Authority worked through the evening to clear the East Busway for the Thursday morning rush hour.
"We're working through the night going into tomorrow (Thursday) morning, and we really hope that people pay attention in the morning to the news and traffic reports to make sure the Busway is open," Ritchie said.
A Pittsburgh International Airport spokeswoman told WTAE Channel 4 Action News that planes have been able to land despite the lightning, and there were only minor delays.
Storm Floods Houses
If the storm didn't trap cars in heavy flood waters, it pounded the basements of hundreds of homes, at which gas and electricity were cut off.
The Wilkinsburg Fire Department was overwhelmed with desperate calls from residents with flooded basements. Wilkinsburg fire Capt. James Regan said they have received close to 100 calls by the late evening.
"With limited manpower, we're going to call to call, and it's pretty much like that through all the east suburbs," Reagan said.
In Westmoreland County, WTAE Channel 4's Jennifer Miele reported that as many as two-dozen students are spending the night at Penn-Trafford High School because of flooding. In Allegheny County, Hilltop Hall in Turtle Creek opened its doors as a shelter for people whose homes have been damaged.
Power Outages Grow From Thousands
By 8:30 p.m., as many as 6,000 power customers experienced outages, a number that quickly grew to more than 22,000 by the late evening.
By 10:30 p.m., Duquesne Light reported more than 22,400 customers without power, the vast majority of which were in the eastern suburbs, largely concentrated in Monroeville (3,650), Penn Hills (3,500) and Forest Hills (1,350).
Allegheny Power reported more than 7,200 outages, mostly concentrated in Westmoreland County. Penn Power reported that a substation in Evans City was hit by lightning, causing outages to as many as 1,100 customers. To fix it, the utility said crews will have to shut down the substation.
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