Biggest Local Weather Events Of 2011
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- From snow and hail to thunderstorms and extreme heat, the Pittsburgh area experiences a little bit of everything when it comes to weather and this year was no exception.
No. 5 Arts Festival Microburst
On June 7, a complex of storms caused trees and power lines to go down. And right at 12:30 p.m., a microburst struck the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Winds at 59 mph toppled tents as the artisans hung on for dear life.
No. 4 Biggest Snow of the Season
The area saw 7.2 inches on February 21st. It was so bad, cars were abandoned on the Parkway West.
No. 3 Hottest Day of the Year
July 22 was the hottest day of the year with a record-tying 96 degrees. It was followed by an outbreak of severe weather with hail and trees down everywhere.
No. 2 Hempfield Tornado
The Hempfield Tornado of March 23 rated EF2 at 120 mph. The storm damaged 90 homes and destroyed 30 others, but no one was hurt.
Tyler Tubbs got more than his 15 minutes of fame capturing a video that went viral on YouTube.
No. 1 Washington Boulevard Tragedy
The tragic storms of August 19 struck the evening rush. Four inches of rain led to flash flooding on Washington Boulevard in Highland Park. Four lives were lost in flood water that rose to 10-feet.
This sad event resulted in summit meetings that led to a series of corrective measures that hopefully will mean this never happens again.
