Thousands lose power due to wind, storms

An accident also knocked out electricity for more than 2,700 customers around Elizabeth Township.

Powerful thunderstorms that swept through Western Pennsylvania on Thursday left thousands without electricity, closed roads in Elizabeth and Forward townships and caused widespread damage.

The storms brought down trees, utility poles and power lines across the region, resulting in widespread outages and travel disruptions throughout the Mon Valley and surrounding communities.

At the height of the storm, more than 40,000 customers served by Duquesne Light were without power across Allegheny and Beaver counties.

More than 28,000 of those outages were reported in Pittsburgh. West Penn Power also reported more than 15,000 outages across its Western Pennsylvania service territory.

Some of the largest concentrations of West Penn Power outages were reported in Westmoreland, Washington, Indiana, Armstrong, Allegheny and Butler counties.

Locally, emergency crews responded to significant damage in Elizabeth Township, where multiple utility poles and power lines were brought down along Scenery Drive.

The Elizabeth Township Fire Department reported Thursday morning that Scenery Drive was closed between Circle Drive and Cowan Drive after utility poles and wires fell onto occupied vehicles. Officials urged motorists to avoid the area while utility crews assessed the damage and began repairs.

According to reports from WTAE at the scene, a truck caught overhead power lines, pulling down wires and snapping a utility pole between Circle Drive and Happy Hollow Road. Crews from VEC worked alongside West Penn Power to restore service and repair damaged infrastructure.

The roadway remained closed for much of the day and was still shut down as of Thursday evening. Fire officials later reported that most power had been restored in the area, though cleanup operations continued.

Additional storm-related problems were reported elsewhere in the Mon Valley.

Elizabeth Township public works officials said several power outages caused traffic signal failures at the Boston intersection around noon. Temporary stop signs were installed to help direct traffic until normal operations could be restored.

In Forward Township, a tree fell across Pangburn Hollow Road Thursday evening, forcing the closure of the roadway between Rostosky Ridge Road and River Hill Road. Nearby residents also experienced power outages.

Utility crews worked throughout the day and into the evening to restore service.

Duquesne Light officials said severe weather and wind gusts exceeding 50 mph caused extensive damage throughout Allegheny and Beaver counties.

The company reported that crews had restored service to the majority of affected customers by late Thursday, reducing the number of outages to fewer than 7,000 customers.

The utility said lineworkers and support personnel would continue restoration efforts overnight while monitoring forecasts for the possibility of additional severe weather Friday.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service canceled a severe thunderstorm watch for the Pittsburgh region at 7 p.m., saying no additional storms were expected to develop Thursday evening.

While conditions improved by nightfall, emergency officials reminded residents to use caution around downed wires, avoid damaged areas and report outages directly to their utility providers.

WTAE contributed to this report.