Severe Weather Limited In Pittsburgh So Far This Spring
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - This spring has been a rollercoaster in southwestern Pennsylvania. We've had wild temperature swings from early 70s and 80s to late frost and freeze concerns well into May. One thing that hasn't been so common is severe weather. In fact, the National Weather Service Pittsburgh office says that this year has been comparatively quiet for them.
So far in 2021, the NWS Pittsburgh has issued three Tornado, two Severe Thunderstorm and zero Flash Flood Warnings. The NWS did confirm a small, short-lived EF-0 tornado touched down briefly May 3 in Portersville. We've had a few area Flood Advisories for heavy rainfall, but no Flash Flood Warnings issued.
To compare 2021 to 2020 numbers, at this time last year the NWS Pittsburgh had issued three Tornado, 52 Severe Thunderstorm and nine Flash Flood Warnings. In fact, tornado, wind and hail reports from the National Weather Service across the country are lower than last year.
Though those numbers for this year so far are lower than 2020, that doesn't mean heavy rain and storms haven't caused problems. Severe storms have pounded parts of the south in 2021 with tornado outbreaks in Alabama and heavy rain across Louisiana and Texas.
In fact, heavy rain in those areas day after day recently has pushed rain totals to historic levels. This is the third-wettest May on record already for Lake Charles, Louisiana, with more than 15 inches. That's six times the average amount for them by this point in May. On Monday alone, 12.41 inches fell, which was the third-highest one-day total in the city's history! Houston, Texas has twice its normal rainfall so far this May and New Orleans has seen four times the normal amount.
By contrast, Pittsburgh is 0.31 inches below normal for May rainfall and a dry, hot pattern is setting up this week and into the end of the month with highs 10 to 15 degrees above normal and little rain chance.
WEATHER LINKS:
Current Conditions | School Delays & Closings | Local Radar | Weather App | Photos
Stay up to date with the KDKA app, which you can download here.