75 years of KDKA-TV: Remembering some of Pittsburgh's biggest weather events
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Weather has been a part of KDKA's history since the very first Pitt Parade back on January 12, 1949, when the forecast that night called for rain and sleet overnight with a low of 30 degrees.
Today, we mark 75 years of broadcasting and First Alert Meteorologist Ron Smiley is here remembering some of the major weather disasters we've covered.
Over the past 75 years, there have been countless weather disasters, including some pretty major ones, but perhaps none more devastating than the deadly tornado outbreak of May 31, 1985.
19 tornadoes touched down in Western Pennsylvania that day, destroying entire towns, killing 75 people and injuring some 800 more.
On June 2, 1998, tornadoes cut another path of destruction across the area, touching down on Mt. Washington as our towercam caught the funnel cloud heading straight for the area.
We've also covered hurricanes, like in 1989 when John Shumway went to South Carolina and reported from the front lines of Hurricane Hugo.
And in 2004, when the remnants of Hurricane Ivan hit the Pittsburgh area, leaving several towns under water.
In a city built on three rivers, there have been far too many floods to count over the past 75 years, including the flood of 1996.
And of course, we can't talk about the weather in Pittsburgh without discussing the blizzards of 1950 and 1993, and the winter storm of 2010, which became known as 'Snowmageddon.'
In fact, all three of those snowstorms still stand as three of the top four largest snowstorms on record in Pittsburgh history.
We've clearly seen all kinds of weather events here over the past 75 years, but through it all, our top priority has been to keep you informed and safe, something we take seriously and never take for granted.
