Tornado confirmed in Washington County over weekend
Power still out Monday for thousands in region
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh confirmed a tornado touched down in Washington County on Saturday, when severe weather blew through the region, downing trees and power lines and causing damage across a wide swath of Washington, Greene and Fayette counties.
NWS meteorologist Jason Frazier said crews have confirmed two tornadoes 无毛视频� one just southeast of Ellsworth, Washington County, and another in Westmoreland County, east of Fayette County near state game lands.
The NWS received reports of property damage, and downed trees and power lines that knocked out power to thousands in the region as showers and thunderstorms rolled though Southwestern Pennsylvania Saturday afternoon with wind gusts that reached 60 to 80 mph.
无毛视频淎s far as what damage we无毛视频檝e seen, this is one of those unique events that highlights how there can be minor differences between what happens with straight-line winds versus a tornado. There are snapped trees down, power lines down, and a lot of that came from winds that were 60 to likely 80 miles an hour, from the sort of system that creates conditions where a tornado could develop,无毛视频� said Frazier.
The severe storms struck the National Pike Steam, Gas and Horse Association grounds in Brownsville, toppling large trees and damaging buildings and equipment.
More than 50 volunteers arrived on Sunday to clear the debris, and plans for the Aug. 7-9 show are on track.
无毛视频淭here were trees down throughout the show grounds,无毛视频� said Nick Micale of the NPSGHA. 无毛视频淓lectric service was knocked out, and it crushed craft shelters and equipment. In about half an hour, Mother Nature wiped us out. The storm changed the landscape, taking down oaks that were 36 inch inches in diameter. We无毛视频檙e working to get it cleaned up and ready for the August show.无毛视频�
As of Monday afternoon, about 15,900 customers were without power across Washington, Fayette and Greene counties 无毛视频� down from an estimated 72,000 customers on Saturday night.
A post on the Ellsworth Borough Facebook Page on Monday said 无毛视频渋t is very likely that electric power will be out throughout our area for an extended period of time.无毛视频�
The Bentleyville Fire Department Social Hall opened as a 无毛视频渃ooling center无毛视频� for anyone who needs to escape the heat, as temperatures climbed into the 80s on Monday, and hot, humid weather was forecast throughout the week.
In Fayette County, the famed neon sign atop the Perryopolis Dairy Queen, which had been there since 1963, was blown down during the storm.
Jackie Horwat, the restaurant无毛视频檚 manager and one of its owners, said she doesn无毛视频檛 know yet if it can be restored.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e still in limbo right now. We无毛视频檙e waiting for insurance, and we无毛视频檙e waiting to see if the sign can be repaired. We don无毛视频檛 know what无毛视频檚 going on yet,无毛视频� said Horwat, who said the sign could have dated back to the 1950s.
This week, temperatures will hover in the mid- to- upper 80s, and climb toward 90 degrees, Frazier said.
That无毛视频檚 about 10 degrees above normal, with the average temperature approaching mid-June usually around 78 degrees.