Severe storms rocked the Pittsburgh area on Tuesday evening, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes as wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour brought down trees and prompted tornado warnings.
In a release late Tuesday, Allegheny County said there were at least two storm-related deaths. One person was fatally electrocuted on the South Side Slopes in Pittsburgh, but the circumstances surrounding the second death were not immediately available.
State of emergency declared for Forest Hills borough
Forest Hills Mayor Frank Porco declared a state of emergency for the borough late Tuesday, advising residents to limit travel to essential purposes only until further notice.
Porco urged residents to remain patient and vigilant as crews work to restore power outages.
“In the meantime, continue to monitor official borough communication channels for updates,” Porco said.
Power outages in Pittsburgh area
Shortly before 5 a.m. on Wednesday, Duquesne Light, which covers parts of Beaver and Allegheny counties, reported over 225,000 customers without power. First Energy is reporting that as of 5:00 a.m. Wednesday, over 227,000 customers are in the dark across Pennsylvania, with tens of thousands in Allegheny, Armstrong, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties.
On its website, Duquesne Light said crews are working to assess damage, and once that’s done, estimated times of restoration will be posted. It also requested assistance from other utility crews.
“The severity of the weather and extensive nature of damage will likely delay assessments and estimated restoration times,” Duquesne Light posted to social media around 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
Photos show damaged buildings, downed trees after intense winds sweep through Pittsburgh area 18 photos
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.
The storms were quick but powerful, and people across Western Pennsylvania were left to assess the damage.
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,” Fiore 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.
Forest Hills, a borough in Allegheny County, declared a state of emergency due to “the extraordinary damage” caused by the storms, the borough said on Tuesday night.
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.
Tents set up for the 2025 U.S. Open at the Oakmont Country Club were damaged during storms on April 29, 2025. KDKA Drone Team / KDKA Photojournalist Ian Smith
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.
