Thousands of residents in Western Pennsylvania awoke today to a power outage following a strong storm Sunday night that produced severe winds. According to WTAE, Allegheny County was hit particularly hard, with Duquesne Light reporting more than 37,000 outages, while West Penn Power reported another 17,000.
As the wind advisory extended through the early hours today, with gusts peaking above 50 mph, utility poles and trees came down, leaving a wake of disruption. "Around the clock" efforts to restore power were underway, as crews prioritized critical and emergent needs, according to a statement reported by CBS News Pittsburgh. Their reports indicate FirstEnergy also experienced significant outages in the area, with thousands affected across their Pennsylvania territory.
Local action news crews captured the aftermath in Monroeville, where a tree brought down by the storm landed on power lines at the intersection of Oak and Orchard streets. Duquesne Light emphasized that its crews worked diligently to restore service as quickly and safely as possible in light of the storm's widespread impacts.
By 10 p.m. yesterday, Duquesne Light's outage figures had reached approximately 55,416 customers without power—50,000 in Allegheny County alone and 5,100 in neighboring Beaver County. The numbers for FirstEnergy were similarly high, with outages including 1,801 in Allegheny County and 1,571 in Beaver County, among others. First Alert Meteorologist Kristin Emery noted that the wind advisory would persist until 1 a.m. Monday, with potential gusts up to 50 mph, signaling that efforts to remedy the interruptions may face continued challenges from the storm's tailwinds.
While the focus remains on restoration, citizens were reminded to stay clear of downed power lines and await professional help. For real-time updates on the outages, residents were directed to follow online trackers provided by the utility companies.
