News Of Western Pennsylvania And The World
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a Code Red Air Quality Action Day in Western Pennsylvania Wednesday due to smoke from Canadian wildfires.
Source: Code Red: Wildfire smoke creates air quality concerns for Western Pennsylvania
Saturday will be an impact day in western Pennsylvania, with pockets of heavy rain in the morning followed by strong wind gusts.
Source: Severe thunderstorm watch for several counties in western Pennsylvania
Breezy and cold with scattered snow showers
TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE LOW TO MID 30’S, AND WE FACTOR IN THE WIND’S. THEY ARE GUSTING AROUND THE REGION AT 25 TO 30 MILES PER HOUR, SO IT KNOCKS THE WIND CHILL DOWN. IT FEELS LIKE IT IS 23 AS YOU WAKE UP. 24 DEGREE WIND CHILL IN UNIONTOWN AND 24 AND UNIONTOWN. IT FEELS LIKE 23 AND WASHINGTON. 22 RIGHT NOW IN INDIANA, BUT A MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY. WE DO HAVE SOME SNOWFLAKES FLYING AROUND. ESPECIALLY IN WASHINGTON, ENDING GREEN PORTIONS OF WESTMORELAND AND FAYETTE COUNTY, EVEN IN SOUTHERN PARTS OF ALLEGHENY. NOT TOO BAD THIS MORNING. OVERALL, A CHANCE FOR SNOWFALL AS WE HEAD INTO THE AFTERNOON. THAT IS WHY WE HAVE A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT. THIS IS ONLY FOR THE MOUNTAINS IN THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF FAYETTE. OTHER COUNTIES ARE UNDER A WINTER STORM WARNING THAT WILL GO UNTIL THREE TO FIVE INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN THESE AREAS
Source: Breezy and cold with scattered snow showers
Cleanup underway after Wednesday’s weather
DERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. —
Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 found a roof ripped off a home on Pine Street in Derry Township, Westmoreland County, following Wednesday’s weather system that brought snow, rain and strong winds.
Trees were also down on a street nearby.
Source: Trees down and roof ripped off home after severe weather hits Westmoreland County community
PITTSBURGH —
Expected snow on Wednesday morning led to more than 100 school closings and delays in the Pittsburgh area.
A complete list of school closings and delays can be found here.
Source: Winter weather leads to more than 100 school closings and delays in Pittsburgh area
Two weeks after a broken pipe caused water to cascade into four floors at the Westmoreland County Courthouse, officials still are assessing the cost of repairs. Crews worked for nearly 24 hours to fix water damage caused when sub-zero temperatures led to a waterline break the evening of Dec. 25,
Source: Repair costs undetermined for Westmoreland courthouse waterline break
A five-year-old boy was also killed in Georgia when a tree struck the car he was traveling in.
At least six people are dead in Alabama after tornadoes struck the state Thursday, destroying homes and causing what Selma’s mayor called “significant damage.” A five-year-old boy was also killed in Georgia when a tree struck the car he was traveling in.
The Alabama deaths were in Autauga County, northwest of Montgomery, county Emergency Management Agency Director Ernie Baggett said.
He said a tornado struck the communities of Old Kingston and Marbury, with a suspected path of around 20 miles.
Source: 6 dead after destructive tornadoes hit Alabama
The gym floor at Jeannette Junior-Senior High School was damaged after flooding on Christmas but Superintendent Matt Jones said it hasn’t affected basketball games and physical education classes.
A frozen water line and broken sprinkler sent water onto the floor during the holiday deep freeze. City firefighters alerted district maintenance crews and the water was cleaned up quickly.
Efforts were made to dry the wood and officials consulted with the company that installed the floor for an inspection of the top layers and subsurface.
The district is awaiting a response from its insurance company before deciding how to restore the floor to its original condition, he said.
Jeannette was not the only school district that faced damage from water during the deep freeze around the holiday.
On Christmas Eve at Shaler Area High School, a sprinkler pipe burst around dinner time. Water expands as it freezes — it’s the only known nonmetallic substance to do so — and, as a result, can put pressure on the pipes that contain it.
Source: Jeannette gym damaged by flooding over Christmas break
Two snowmobile riders were buried and killed in an avalanche in Colorado on Saturday, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on Mount Epworth, located about 6 miles east of Winter Park, CAIC officials said in a Facebook post.
One of the victims, a 58-year-old man, was found by another group on the mountain, where they performed CPR on him, but the individual was pronounced dead on the scene, according to CAIC and the Grand County Sherriff’s Office.
Source: 2 snowmobile riders buried, killed in Colorado avalanche: Officials
Bob Jordan:
I want everyone who is dealing with the problems we’ve been facing, whether you haven’t been able to get to where you need to go or you’re one of our heroic Employees caught up in a massive effort to stabilize the airline, to know is that we’re doing everything we can to return to a normal operation.
And please also hear that I’m truly sorry.
Here’s why this giant puzzle is taking us several days to solve. Southwest is the largest carrier in the country, not only because of our value and our values, but because we build our flight schedule around communities, not hubs. So, we’re the largest airline in 23 of the top 25 travel markets in the U.S.
Cities where large numbers of scheduled flights simultaneously froze as record bitter cold brought challenges for all airlines.
Our network is highly complex and the operation of the airline counts on all the pieces, especially aircraft and crews remaining in motion to where they’re planned to go. With our large fleet of airplanes and flight crews out of position in dozens of locations. And after days of trying to operate as much of our full schedule across the busy holiday weekend, we reached a decision point to significantly reduce our flying to catch up.
We’re focused on safely getting all of the pieces back into position to end this rolling struggle. You know, I have nothing but pride and respect for the efforts of the people of Southwest who are showing up in every way. The tools we use to recover from disruption serve us well, 99 percent of the time; but clearly, we need to double down on our already existing plans to upgrade systems for these extreme circumstances so that we never again face what’s happening right now.
I’m apologizing to them daily and they’ll be hearing more about our specific plans to ensure the challenges that they’ve faced the past few days will not be part of our future.
I reached out to Secretary Buttigieg earlier today to continue the discussions we’ve been having with the DOT through the holiday – sharing all the things that we’re doing to make things right for our Customers.
We always take care of our Customers. And we will lean in and go above and beyond as they would expect us to. Teams are working on all of that: processing refunds, proactively reaching out and taking care of Customers who are dealing with costly detours and reroutes, as just a few examples. Our plan for the next few days is to fly a reduced schedule and reposition our people and planes, and we’re making headway and we’re optimistic to be back on track before next week.
We have some real work to do in making this right. For now, I want you to know that we’re committed to that.
Source: Video: Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan Issues Update
PITTSBURGH — Look around the city and you can see the lingering impact of the weekend winter weather.
“From Friday evening to now, we’ve had over 300 calls,” said Jake Kicinski, who’s the vice president of operations for Southside Plumbing & Heating.
The phones at Southside Plumbing & Heating keep ringing, and it’s all for the same thing.
Source: Bursting pipes wreak havoc in City of Pittsburgh
TRENDING NOW:
Rescue crews struggle to reach stranded residents in Buffalo, New York, where dozens have been killed in winter storms
Emergency crews in New York were scrambling to rescue marooned residents from what authorities called the “blizzard of the century,” a relentless storm that has left 27 dead in the state and taken at least 60 lives nationwide, according to an NBC News tally.
In New York state, authorities have described ferocious conditions, particularly in Buffalo, with hours-long whiteouts, bodies being discovered in vehicles and under snow banks, and emergency personnel going “car to car” searching for more motorists, alive or dead.
On Monday night, US president Joe Biden issued a federal emergency declaration for the state of New York, authorising government assistance to bolster state and local recovery efforts.
Source: US braces for more deaths as ‘blizzard of the century’ grips nation
As a massive winter storm continues to blast much of the US with brutal winter weather — leading to at least 37 deaths nationwide — parts of western New York have been buried by up to 43 inches of snow, leaving vehicles stuck and power out for thousands during the Christmas weekend.
Several closings were reported ahead of Friday’s expected frigid temperatures.
Pittsburgh’s Action Weather meteorologists have made Friday an Alert Day because of the cold temperatures.
A complete list of school closings and delays can be found here.
Source: School closings rolling in as Pittsburgh braces for dangerous wind chills
A major winter storm and cold blast will impact nearly every state and bring what the National Weather Service is calling a “once in a generation type event” that will cripple travel on some of the busiest travel days of the year.
For Massachusetts and New England, this could either be a rain or snow storm depending on the track of the system.
Source: Sizeable storm to impact holiday travel days before Christmas
South faces tornado threat as blizzard warnings in effect in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Source: Flights canceled as 15 million under winter weather alerts from severe storm sweeping U.S.
A hailstorm damaged cars and homes across Washington, Fayette, and Westmoreland Counties Sunday.
Nathan Utz in Perryopolis found dozens of small dents in his truck.
“Some things outside were blowing around, so I came out to try to recover them before they got to the neighbors. By the time we got to the garage here, it was heavy hail, at least golf ball size,” Utz said.
The hail also left numerous holes in the siding of houses.
Meldon Avenue in Donora was closed after power poles brought down lines into the street.
“I’ve never experienced hail like we did today,” Utz said.
Source: Hailstorm damaged cars and homes across Washington, Fayette and Westmoreland Counties
Pittsburgh officials outlined the city’s plans for snow removal efforts this winter in a virtual meeting Tuesday evening, saying they hope to have all of the city’s roads cleared within 24 hours of snowfall. “We’re going to do all we can to make sure these streets (are clear),” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said. “We know that snow’s a big, big question in the city.”
Source: Pittsburgh sets goal to clear roads within 24 hours of snowfall
Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall in Florida in the next few hours, with wind speeds of up to 155mph meaning the storm is nearing the most dangerous Category 5 status.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Ian was expected to cause “life-threatening” storm surges, catastrophic winds and flooding on Florida’s southwest coast.
Source: Hurricane Ian landfall approaches as storm nearing Category 5 – live
ORLANDO, Fla. —
One person is dead and another was sent to the hospital after a plane at the Orlando Executive Airport flipped over during severe weather Thursday, according to the Orlando Fire Department.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed two people were inside the plane when it flipped over at about 5 p.m. The plane was holding for takeoff on a taxiway while the weather was unfavorable, according to a spokesperson for the airport.
The spokesperson said another plane that flipped over did not have anyone inside it.
“Unfortunately, that system moved in so fast, it was so severe with very heavy gusty winds that it actually flipped the airplane,” said Orlando Executive Airport director and air traffic controller, Judith-Ann Jarrette.
Source: Planes flip at Orlando Executive Airport, leaving 1 dead
It’s a chilly start to our Saturday with a light scattered wintry mix lasting through much of the day with highs only in the mid 40s.
Snow showers are possible early Saturday
In the Certified Most Accurate Forecast, Pittsburgh’s Action Weather meteorologist Ashley Dougherty said a mix of rain and snow showers is expected to hit Pittsburgh early Saturday though no accumulation is expected.
Source: Spring snowfall: Pittsburgh may get another taste of winter this weekend
A large, deadly tornado battered parts of the New Orleans area on Tuesday night, with damage reported in Arabi and the Lower Ninth Ward.
(CNN)A large, deadly tornado battered parts of the New Orleans area on Tuesday night, with damage reported in Arabi and the Lower Ninth Ward.
St. Bernard Parish president Guy McInnis told CNN one person had died in the Arabi neighborhood.McInnis had no details on the fatality and said parish officials have several reports of residents going to the hospital, but no specific numbers on injuries.Some homes were “picked up off their foundations and are lying in the street,” he said.McInnis earlier described the damage in Arabi as widespread and major, according to CNN affiliate WDSU.Emergency responders are conducting search and rescue efforts. That includes units from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the agency said.
Source: New Orleans tornado leaves one dead, thousands without power – CNN
Allegheny County Public Works says they’ll be on standby to take care of the roads as nasty weather is expected Friday night and into Saturday morning.
Source: Crews Get Ready To Roll Ahead Of Snowfall
The National Weather Service’s severe thunderstorm warning expired late Monday afternoon for southwestern Pennsylvania, but the storm’s effects continued to be felt into the evening.
As the old saying goes, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb — and predictions for Monday’s storm were lion-esque. The NWS predicted wind speeds of up to 60 miles per hour for Monday’s storm, which could result in downed trees and power lines that may cause outages.
Indeed, as the storm moved out of the region, reports of trees and wires down came flooding in from all of the county — areas including Ross, Plum and parts of Pittsburgh such as near Allegheny Commons Park on the North Side.
Around 5:30 p.m., Duquesne Light reported 92 outages, which affected nearly 9,000 people. Penn Hills and Mt. Lebanon were two of the hardest-hit areas, according to the Duquesne Light outages map. Monroeville, McKeesport and Plum were areas of Allegheny County that were expected to see the worst of the storm, according to the NWS.
Parts of Washington, Westmoreland, Greene, Armstrong and Fayette counties were also included in the thunderstorm warning. There is also a chance for “isolated incidents of damaging wind gusts” throughout the evening, the weather service said.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – We are coming off of back to back 60 degree days here in Pittsburgh and today’s high will look unseasonably warm as we started the day at 58 degrees.
WEATHER LINKS:
Current Conditions | School Delays & Closings | Local Radar | Weather App | PhotosREAD MORE:Police Investigating Possible Child Abduction In Penn Hills
As I am writing this, you can clearly see a line of showers on the radar that’s along the cold front that will bring a return of winter weather to our area for the next couple of days.
Right Now: Flood advisory for the Ohio River at the Point (Downtown Pittsburgh) through at least Saturday evening. The river is expected to crest at 22.5’ on Saturday morning. Part of Mon Wharf will be topped along with parts of the river walk later today. The 10th St bypass floods at 22’ so that is also expected to occur on Friday into Saturday. Turns cold throughout the day. There is also a winter storm watch issued for the Laurel Highlands for tomorrow’s active weather.
Alert: Thursday and Friday are still pegged as First Alert weather days. The window for active weather really looks to be from 7:00 p.m. on Thursday night through around 3:00 a.m. on Friday.
Aware: Monday, the last day of February, will see a high of just 27. At times we are reminded it is still winter.
Behind the cold front, we should be dry for the rest of the day. Temperatures will quickly drop to the 30s by 8:00 a.m. Temperatures should hover near 40 degrees for the rest of the morning into the afternoon. Winds will be strong at times this morning with gusts possibly topping 30 mph.
Source: Pittsburgh Weather: Temperatures Drop Throughout The Day, Snow And Freezing Rain On The Way
The region’s rivers were receding Saturday and roads were reopening after rain and melting snow caused some flooding.
Saturday afternoon, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reopened portions of the Parkway North and East, including the area known as the bathtub, as the flooding subsided.
The southbound ramp on I-279 from the Fort Duquesne Bridge to eastbound I-376 had also been closed but now has reopened.
But the 10th Street Bypass remained closed.
The Ohio River crested at 22.93 feet Friday afternoon and has slowly been receding since, according to data collected by the National Weather Service in Moon.
The Ohio floods at 25 feet and as of 3:30 p.m. Saturday had fallen to about 19.5 feet.
The Pittsburgh Parking Authority closed the Mon Wharf parking area Friday due to flood concerns, and it will remain closed until further notice, the authority said.
Water levels along the Allegheny River also peaked Friday afternoon and have been falling since. The Monongahela River rose slightly due to the weather, but mostly stayed near its average level of about 12 feet.
Source: As Pittsburgh’s rivers recede, roads reopen | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
