Violent storm causes damage throughout Mon Valley

The area was struck by extremely high winds, and possibly a tornado.

By the MVI

Saturday’s massive storm caused widespread damage in several Mon Valley communities, and many residents are still left in the dark as crews scramble to get power restored for thousands impacted by the storm.

Winds of 70 to 80 mph and possibly a tornado caused damage across southeast Washington, southern Westmoreland and northern Fayette counties, according to the National Weather Service.

A tornado warning was issued, and the weather service will send a survey team out today to determine if there was one, Leonardi said.

“We definitely had an area of strong wind in addition to possibly what may have been a brief tornado,” Leonardi said. “We’ll make that determination on Monday.”

Westmoreland County Emergency Management Director Scott Stepanovich said one caller reported seeing a funnel cloud, but it was not confirmed and the call was disconnected.

Westmoreland County 911 took 450 calls between 3 and 4 p.m. — roughly half the number it sees over an entire typical day, Stepanovich said. Most of the calls were for downed trees and wires, and no injuries were reported.

In Monessen and Rostraver Township, many residents reported property damage as the storm uprooted trees and tore yards apart.

“It fortunately passed through quick,” Stepanovich said.

In Washington County, several Valley communities along the Monongahela River are still dealing with the cleanup.

Widespread damage was reported in the Five-Town communities along Route 88 in Allenport, Dunlevy, Stockdale, Roscoe and Long Branch. Charleroi firefighters had to close a section of Route 88 Saturday due to downed trees and lines.

“Please exercise caution while driving due to downed trees and power lines that remain on the ground. It will take West Penn and PennDOT some time to address these issues. Please refrain from touching or approaching power lines as they may still be energized,” the Charleroi Fire Department stated in a social media post.

Elsewhere in Washington County, residents in the communities of California, Coal Center and West Pike Run Township reported seeing funnel clouds as the massive storm moved through, causing property damage and downed trees and power lines.

Bentleyville was also hit hard by the storm and neighboring Fallowfield Township saw damage as well. Pine Cove Beach Club and RV Resort closed early Saturday and posted the following message in its Facebook page: “We were truly in God’s good graces today. While a rare tornado formed over the pool area, we are incredibly relieved and grateful to report that everyone is safe. Due to a power outage and the need to give our facility some much-needed TLC, we will be closed for the remainder of today, June 6, 2026. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to get everything back in order.”

In Fayette County, residents in Fayette City, Jefferson Township, Perryopolis, Brownsville and other neighboring areas reported downed trees and property damage from the high winds. The iconic sign on the roof of the Perryopolis Dairy Queen was damaged.

Rye’s Bar and Restaurant, located off Old National Pike in Brownsville, remains closed after the storm caused major damage to the business Saturday.

In a Facebook post, Rye’s stated that a few cars on the property were totaled.

“Tornado came through and snapped one of our old sycamore trees in half and continued up the hill taking the tops of all the trees. No injuries. Everyone is safe! A few cars totaled. Total power outage,” Rye’s stated.

As of press time Sunday, West Penn Power was reporting 32,181 customers without electricity in Allegheny, Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland and Greene counties, with 16,799 of them in Fayette and 10,777 in Allegheny. Duquesne Light said 11 customers in Allegheny County remain without power.

Concerns about the weather prompted the cancellation of the second of two Morgan Wallen concerts at Acrisure Stadium. However, all the severe activity remained south of Pittsburgh, and no damage was reported in Allegheny County.

“We did have the expectation of severe storms,” Leonardi said. “They were a little less widespread than expected. Pittsburgh escaped the worst of it.”

TribLive contributed to this story.