Hurricane Force Winds, Ice Tsunami, Hundreds Of Thousands Without Power In Northeast
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) -- Hundreds of thousands of people have lost power in parts of the country's eastern half as high winds persist into their second day.
Toppled trees and fallen branches took out power lines across the region Sunday and Monday as winds gusted to 60 mph or higher.
Thousands of utility customers remain without power across western Pennsylvania today as high winds continue to roar through the state, knocking down trees and power lines.
About 144,200 customers were without power in Pennsylvania early Monday. But most of the affected customers were expected to have their service restored by Monday night at the latest.
To check when power will be restored in your area, visit Duquesne Light's website here and West Penn Power's website here.
Locally, yesterday's top wind recorded was 66 mph in the Latrobe area.
The Pittsburgh airport also saw a wind gust of 61 mph yesterday, which was the highest recorded wind gust (non-storm wind speeds) in more than a decade.
The winds brought down trees and power lines across the area.
The Pittsburgh Public Works Department said a huge tree toppled over at Alder and Spahr Streets in Shadyside.
High winds can topple large trees. Here's a fallen tree at Alder and Spahr in #Pittsburgh's Shadyside.
Our @CityPGH Forestry Division is working hard to keep up with damage. Let us know, call 911 if a tree is blocking a roadway. pic.twitter.com/1dVnGvydgM
— Pittsburgh Public Works (@PGHDPW) February 24, 2019
Wind gusts of 74 mph - hurricane strength - were reported in Tucker County, West Virginia, and Niagara Falls, New York.
In Sandusky, Ohio, a motorist captured video of a tractor-trailer flipping over on a bridge.
Along the shores of the Great Lakes the wind pushed chunks of Lake Erie ice onto land in New York and Ontario.
Residents describe the giant chunks of falling ice as an "ice tsunami."
The video was posted by the Niagara Parks Police Service of the ice flowing over a retaining wall near the border in Fort Erie, Ontario Canada.
Some coastal residents were urged to evacuate.
Wind advisories and warnings are in effect through Monday in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
KDKA Meteorologist Ron Smiley says the worst of the winds are behind us, but we can still expect a fairly windy day.
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We've seen winds gusting to past 40 mph but the rest of the day will likely see winds gusting to around 35mph at most.
The center of Pennsylvnia is still under a High Wind Warning through 1 p.m.
"It will remain windy through the afternoon with average wind speeds hovering around 20mph. Winds will be out of the west. The sun will be out but don't let the sunshine fool you temperatures will be in the mid to low 30s for highs. Most of the day will see 'feels like' temperatures in the teens," Smiley says.
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