Top 10 Weather Events Of Dennis Bowman's Career
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) –KDKA-TV Meteorologist Dennis Bowman is saying goodbye today.
But, before his retirement, he put together a list of the top 10 weather events he's covered during his time in Pittsburgh.
No. 10: Summer of 1988
A summer characterized by drought and a frequency of high heat. The mercury went to 90 or higher 38 times and peaked at 103 on July 16. That's the hottest it's ever been in Pittsburgh.
No. 9: Mt. Washington Tornado – June 2, 1998
It was an F-1 with winds of 110 MPH. Fortunately, it happened during the early evening news and with good warning. No serious injuries, but 500 buildings were damaged. It was captured by the KDKA Tower Cam. This was one of nine tornadoes that day.
No. 8: Severe Cold – January 1994
Jan. 19 had the coldest temperature in Pittsburgh history - minus 22 degrees. And we suffered through 51 consecutive hours of sub-zero weather.
No, 7 – Wild Weather - Aug. 9, 2007
The morning began with heavy rain, some areas getting 4 inches in an hour-and-a-half. This caused massive flooding in Millvale. In the afternoon, a tornado touched down in the West End. While is caused damage, no one was hurt. Lightning struck a home in Plum and burned it down.
No. 6: Shaler-Etna Flooding - 1986
The flood event of May 30, 1986 in the Shaler-Etna area. Eight lives were lost as 8 inches of rain fell in a short time. Sen. John Heinz called a meeting with the National Weather Service and television weather people to see what difference Doppler Radar would have made. Two years later, it came to Pittsburgh.
Watch Part 1 Here:
No. 5: 'Snowmageddon'
The snowstorm of Feb. 5 and 6, 2010. Nicknamed "Snowmageddon," it paralyzed the area with 21.1 inches of snow, which was the fourth biggest snow all-time, in Pittsburgh.
No. 4: Hurricane Ivan
Sept. 17, 2004, the widespread flooding that came from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan. A total of 5.95 inches of rain fell - the most ever for the city in one day. Roads were closed all over Allegheny County.
No. 3: Shadyside, Ohio Disaster – June 14, 1990
In the wake of heavy rain, a wall of water 30 feet high swept into Shadyside. A total of 36 lives were lost. Shadyside, Ohio will forever be associated with this event.
No. 2: Blizzard of '93
March 13, 1993 - 23.6 inches of snow fell, the most ever for one day in Pittsburgh. Travel came to a standstill here and across much of the state.
No. 1: Tornado Outbreak - May 31, 1985
The massive outbreak of tornadoes in western Pennsylvania. This included an F-5 with winds greater than 260 MPH, which struck Wheatland in Mercer County. In all, 46 lives were lost in western Pennsylvania and 21 more in Ohio, New York, and Canada. Pennsylvania led the nation in tornado deaths for 1985 because of what happened on this one day. It became a state law in 1986 for schools to start doing tornado drills in Pennsylvania. The tornado that struck Mercer County was captured on home video - one of the first ever by a citizen with a camcorder.
Watch Part 2 Here:
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