6 tornadoes confirmed in area
Peak winds of 110 mph were recorded Saturday near Cokeburg and Ellsworth.
Two days after severe thunderstorms battered Southwestern Pennsylvania, thousands of residents remained without electricity Monday night as National Weather Service survey teams confirmed six tornadoes touched down across the region.
Utility crews continued repairs in some of the hardest-hit communities.
Meteorologists from the National Weather Service office in Moon Township spent Monday surveying storm damage in several communities, including California and Perryopolis, as they worked to determine the extent of the tornado outbreak.
In a damage survey summary released Monday evening, the NWS said six tornadoes have now been confirmed from Saturday’s storms.
Officials said all six developed as rotating circulations embedded within a larger squall line that swept through the region during the afternoon.
The agency said additional details on tornadoes near Beallsville and Centerville in Washington County will be released today following further review of survey findings.
Among the strongest tornadoes was an EF1 that tracked more than 7 miles through Washington Coun-ty near Cokeburg and Ellsworth with peak winds of 110 mph. The tornado snapped dozens of trees and caused roof damage to a home before dissipating near Cross Ridge Road.
Survey teams also confirmed an EF1 tornado near Linn in Fayette County with estimated winds of 100 mph. The tornado touched down near Railroad Avenue and caused extensive tree damage and minor damage to a home.
A separate EF1 tornado with peak winds of 90 mph touched down south of Perryopolis near Reservoir Road east-southeast of Star Junction and traveled more than 5 miles before dissipating near Vanderbilt. The tornado uprooted numerous hardwood trees and caused shingle damage to a home along Maplewood Road.
The NWS also classified the tornado previously reported near Boy Scout Road in South Huntingdon Township as an EF1. The tornado began between Banning and Layton in Fayette County before crossing into southern Westmoreland County, producing peak winds between 95 and 110 mph and snapping or uprooting numerous large hardwood trees. The storm dissipated near Meadow Run and Epsey roads.
The storms swept through Southwestern Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon, producing wind gusts estimated between 60 and 80 mph, downing trees and power lines, causing widespread property damage and leaving thousands without electricity.
West Penn Power officials said crews have been working continuously to restore service in some of the hardest-hit areas.
Late Monday, West Penn provided an update.
“Crews continue working around the clock to restore service to the remaining 10,500 customers affected by this weekend’s severe storm,” the company said in a statement. “Our teams are addressing hundreds of damaged locations across the hardest-hit areas of Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.”
“In response, more than 2,800 line workers and support personnel have been working around the clock and are committed to restoring power to every customer as safely and quickly as possible,” the utility said.
West Penn Power said it expected most customers to have service restored by 11 p.m. Monday, although some outages would likely continue into today because of the extent of the damage.
As of press time, West Penn Power reported 47 customers without power in Greene County, 3,500 in Washington County, 2,550 in Fayette County and 593 in Westmoreland County.
