3 deaths reported after severe storms batter Pittsburgh area, knocking out power for more than 400,000 homes
Severe storms with intense winds rocked the Pittsburgh area on Tuesday evening, killing at least three people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes.
At the height of the storm, Allegheny County says the National Call Center, which manages 911 phone traffic, reported that the region saw over 5,000 calls per hour. Allegheny County leaders said it saw rates as high as 1,000 calls per minute.
Both Allegheny County and Pittsburgh declared disaster emergencies amid a visit from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday afternoon.
"We have numerous PennDOT assets on the ground that have been out inspecting bridges and roadways to make sure it's safe. PennDOT, PEMA and the entire Shapiro-Davis administration will continue to be on the scene as long as it takes," Shapiro said.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said people should still be careful, especially around "incredibly dangerous" live wires.
The storms were quick but extremely powerful, leaving people across Western Pennsylvania on Wednesday to assess the damage and wait for their power to come back on.
At least 3 killed after Western Pennsylvania storms
The violent storms killed at least three people in the Pittsburgh area.
A man, identified by the medical examiner as 59-year-old David Lepinsky, was fatally electrocuted in Pittsburgh. Source said a live wire fell on his vehicle around 7 p.m., and he was killed trying to move it with a stick. One neighbor told KDKA-TV she tried to call 911 but couldn't get through.
In Ross Township, police said 67-year-old Raymond Gordon was working outside and walking back to his house when a tree fell and killed him.
Pennsylvania State Police said Andrew Celaschi was also killed by a falling tree. Police said Celaschi was a passenger in a car driving on Jefferson Road in Franklin Township, Greene County, when he was hit.
The same line of storms killed a fourth person in State College, about 120 miles away from Pittsburgh. State College police said a 22-year-old who was trying to put out a mulch fire was electrocuted by an active electrical current, CBS affiliate WTAJ reported.
Power outages in Pittsburgh area
Duquesne Light, which covers parts of Beaver and Allegheny counties, said over 325,000 customers lost power at one point. As of Thursday night, over 100,000 customers remain without power. Across Pennsylvania, FirstEnergy is reporting that over 73,000 customers are without power, with thousands in Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
As of Thursday evening, over 114,000 customers remain without power. Across Pennsylvania, FirstEnergy is reporting that over 68,000 customers are without power, with thousands in Allegheny, Armstrong, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
Duquesne Light estimates that full power restoration could take five to seven days, though most people will see it restored sooner.
"As you can imagine, we are still assessing the full impact of the storm that occurred last night. But it is clear that it is an unprecedented event in the history of Duquesne Light," John Hilderbrand II, the vice president of operations at Duquesne Light, said.
Allegheny County, Pittsburgh declare disaster emergency
Allegheny County and the city of Pittsburgh declared disaster emergencies on Wednesday afternoon amid a visit from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. Several communities within Allegheny County have already declared disasters.
Forest Hills Mayor Frank Porco declared a state of emergency for the borough late Tuesday, advising residents to limit travel to essential purposes until further notice. Allegheny County Emergency Services Chief Matt Brown said in a press conference on Wednesday that Wilkins Township and Churchill boroughs have also declared a disaster, and Harrison Township, Robinson Township and Swissvale intend to do the same.
What that means is different for every place, Brown said. He said it generally makes procuring what a community needs easier, and it also sends a message to the public.
"It doesn't necessarily mean that we're panicked or that we're worried or we're concerned, but we want everyone's attention, and that includes the public, that we are dealing with a crisis," Brown said.
Was Pittsburgh hit by a "derecho?"
The National Weather Service says a derecho is "a widespread, convectively induced straight-line windstorm; specifically a family of particularly damaging downbursts produced by a mesoscale convective system."
While southwestern Pennsylvania's storm met certain criteria to be considered a derecho, including a swath of wind damage extending at least 400 miles in length and 60 miles in width, NWS Pittsburgh says it lacked periodic measured gusts above 75 mph along the damage swath.
Still, that doesn't mean it wasn't a strong storm. NWS Pittsburgh surveyed straight line wind damage east of Pittsburgh in Schenley Park through Regent Square to the area of Wilkinsburg, Churchill and Edgewood, determining damage was consistent with 90-95 mph.
Southwestern Pennsylvania storms leave trail of damage
The storms brought extremely strong winds to the area. The National Weather Service said the Pittsburgh airport reported a 71.3 mph wind gust, which is the third strongest ever recorded there.
On Pittsburgh's South Side, a roof was ripped off the building that houses PerLora Furniture. It landed at the intersection of East Carson Street and the Birmingham Bridge.
"It sounded like a tornado or something. It sounded really loud. I was crossing the Hot Metal Street Bridge, and I could hear it wailing. It was scary," Vijay Cherupally, of South Side, said.
The roof also blew off Fiori's, a beloved Pittsburgh pizza shop on West Liberty Avenue.
"Oh boy, they're going to fix it," Fiori Moscatiello, owner of the pizza joint, said while holding back tears.
In Robinson Township, three trees smashed into a home, causing serious damage. There were no injuries.
"It came real quick, instantly," homeowner Dennis Jazeduk said.
U.S. Open setup at Oakmont Country Club damaged by storms
Oakmont Country Club's 2025 U.S. Open setup sustained damage during Tuesday's powerful storms as a hospitality tent set up for the major golf event in June was damaged.
A United States Golf Association spokesperson said the tent that's located along the fairway of the 3rd hole is set to host the Trophy Club, was damaged, but no workers were injured.
Crews are expected to fix the damage in about 10 days.
The USGA has been busy prepping the course to host the event, which is being held at Oakmont for a record 10th time.
