High wind watch issued for Sunday; gusts up to 55 mph forecast

Strong winds forecast for Sunday could bring down trees, limbs and power lines, leading to scattered power outages.

A high wind watch will start Sunday morning and run until Monday morning, National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Redmond said Friday.

Sustained winds of 15-to-30 mph are expected, with gusts up to 55 mph possible, he said. Allegheny County and all surrounding counties are included in the watch.

“We’re going to have a cold front coming through sometime close to dawn, maybe a little later on Sunday,” Redmond said. “We’re going to see the strong winds come in behind that cold front.”

In addition to damage to trees and power outages, unsecured, lightweight objects may become projectiles, the weather service warns.

Quiet weather today, but the weekend looks active. Rainy Sat aft/night, followed by a cold front bringing strong wind gusts Sunday and Sunday night. High Wind Watch issued for possible gusts of 50-60 MPH. Plan now! pic.twitter.com/bsoHqU7gRI

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) February 22, 2019

While Sunday is the focus for strongest winds, they could carry over into Monday morning if the system slows or takes a different path, he said.

Saturday should not be too bad, with some showers arriving in the afternoon, Redmond said. Wind gusts should be typical for the area, between 20 and 25 mph.

The rain on Sunday, between a half and three-quarters of an inch, will pale in concern to the wind, according to Redmond.

It will warm up over the weekend before falling below normal early next week. Saturday’s high is expected to be in the mid-40s; the temperature will rise to the mid-50s for early Sunday before falling throughout the day.

Temperatures will be in the lower 30s early next week, which Redmond said is below normal for late February, but will rise back to normal for mid-to-late week.