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Severe storms on Tuesday tore the roof off Fiori’s Pizzaria in Brookline. Photo: Chrissy Suttles/ Axios
Severe storms slammed southwestern Pennsylvania on Tuesday, killing at least three people and leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power.
Zoom in: The storm tore off roofs, ripped down power lines and damaged buildings and homes across the region.
- Three people were killed — two in Allegheny County and one in Greene County, per WPXI. One man was hit by a falling tree outside of his home, a second man was electrocuted by live wires and the third man died when a tree fell on his car.
- Winds hit 71.3 mph at Pittsburgh International Airport, the third-highest ever recorded, per the National Weather Service, with gusts reaching 90 mph in some areas.
- The storm ripped the roof off of Fiori’s Pizzaria in Brookline, damaged a hospitality tent for the U.S. Open at the Oakmont Country Club and destroyed homes.
- At the storm’s peak, Allegheny County Emergency Services saw up to 1,000 calls per minute, overwhelming dispatchers and regional phone systems.
The latest: Duquesne Light said Wednesday that full power restoration could take five to seven days — with roughly 200,000 customers still in the dark regionally.
- The company said on X that over 250,000 lost power at the storm’s peak, calling it “one of the most unprecedented storms we’ve ever experienced.”
- The National Weather Service is investigating possible tornado activity amid 150+ damage reports, including heavy hits to Pittsburgh’s eastern neighborhoods like Wilkinsburg.
What they’re saying: Mayor Ed Gainey at a Wednesday news conference urged Pittsburghers to stay home if possible as cleanup efforts continue.
- “We are asking the people of the city to bear with us for a little bit,” he said. “I know it’s an inconvenience. We also acknowledge safety is paramount.”
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