Pittsburgh Weather: High Winds, Chance Of Severe Storms Blowing Through Overnight
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Thursday has been warm and pleasant, but storms are on the way.
A High Wind Warning is in effect for many counties north and west of Pittsburgh and in the higher elevations east of town. This warning goes into effect at 2 a.m. and is set to expire at 2 p.m. Friday.
During this event, sustained winds will whip from 20 to 30 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph at times. Winds like this could bring down branches, trees and powerlines.
In between the warning to the west and the southeast ridges is a Wind Advisory. This covers the majority of our area, and runs from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m. Friday.
In these areas, those same 20-30 mph sustained winds are expected, but gusts are expected to top off around 55 mph.
An area of low pressure, along with a cold front, will sweep through the region tonight and tomorrow.
In addition to the High Wind Warning and Wind Advisory, we will see rain and possibly thunderstorms. There is the chance that one or two of these storms could become strong to severe, with damaging winds being the main threat.
The Storm Prediction Center has our southeastern counties in the "Marginal Risk" for severe weather, as a result. That means isolated severe storms are possible.
While winds are the biggest risk, heavy rain could lead to isolated flooding, and there may be enough shear for an isolated tornado. That risk looks low at this time, though.
Again, to emphasize, straight line winds are the main threat in any storms that become severe, so that is the focus at this time.
