Severe weather mostly misses Pittsburgh; high temperatures on the way

A threat of severe weather with hurricane-force winds is over for the Pittsburgh area, a National Weather Service meteorologist said early Tuesday.

No watches or warnings are active for Southwestern Pennsylvania, meteorologist Jason Frazier said.

One line of thunderstorms fizzled out as it moved into Washington and Greene counties, but it still produced lightning, gusty winds and caused power outages, Frazier said.

Trees down all over Washington County. Just under 1,000 West Penn Power customers without power in Wash Co. @WPXIScott is tracking another round of heavy rain, lightning, and strong winds. Flip on @WPXI NOW or watch live here ➡️ https://t.co/2QyZTb8QSA pic.twitter.com/dq7Ks0JhoN

— Alyssa Raymond (@AlyssaRaymond) June 14, 2022

As of about 5 a.m., West Penn Power was reporting just over 1,000 customers affected in Washington County and about 500 in Greene County. Only about 40 outages were reported in Allegheny County.

Duquesne Light was not reporting any outages in its area.

A second line of storms stayed primarily west of the Pittsburgh region, impacting eastern Ohio and the northern West Virginia panhandle, Frazier said. Winds of 60 mph to 80 mph in those areas downed many trees and caused power outages, and in some places authorities were advising people to avoid driving on roads because of downed trees and debris, he said.

5 AM - The northern end of the line of storms (Round #2) continues to significantly weaken as the stronger southern segment dives to the south. Severe weather is over for our forecast area for the morning. pic.twitter.com/lJSXXeoZis

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) June 14, 2022

Rain showers will clear out by the afternoon, and the high temperature will reach the lower to mid-80s, Frazier said. It will be very humid, with the heat index reaching 90 today.

A strong warmup is in the forecast for Wednesday, with temperatures in the low to mid-90s and a heat index to near or above 100 degrees, Frazier said.

“People will need to be prepared,” he said. “Limit outdoor exposure. If you have to be outside, drink lots of water, take breaks and find shade.”

Isolated showers or thunderstorms will be possible in the afternoon but are not expected to be severe. There will be an increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms ahead of a cold front Thursday afternoon, when the temperature is expected to reach around 90 with a heat index in the upper 90s.

It will cool down after that, with a high in the lower 80s Friday and the mid-70s Saturday, Frazier said.