High winds, possible flooding expected Wednesday for Pittsburgh area
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The Pittsburgh area was slammed by nasty weather on Tuesday, and it is not looking much better for Wednesday.
Tuesday featured heavy rain and strong winds that knocked down power lines and trees in the Pittsburgh area. For others, there was slushy, wet snow. A viewer sent a picture of cars backed up in Indiana County, and photos showed backed-up traffic on Route 22 in Blairsville.
With more snow coming on Wednesday, PennDOT is watching for possible flooding.
"We urge folks never to drive through standing water and never drive through a closed roadway if barriers are up," said Christina Gibbs, community relations coordinator for PennDOT.
Gibbs said her team will be ready to keep the roads clear.
"We'll be out doing pre-treating on the roadways, taking care of anything residual that might be left over from flooding with trees down or branches," Gibbs said. "Our crews are on 24 hours right now, so we'll be ready for whatever Mother Nature wants to throw at us next."
Gibbs said technology helps PennDOT drivers stay ahead of the storm and respond where they are needed most.
"We actively monitor the weather forecast," Gibbs said. "Our trucks have equipment to tell what the road temperature is, what the air temperature is so that we know how to best treat the roadways."
If you have an early morning commute, take extra caution on the roads as they transform from wet to snow-covered.
Rain and wind create challenges for power restoration crews
Thousands of people in the Pittsburgh area lost power on Tuesday because of the strong wind gusts.
West Penn Power crews are working as quickly and safely as they can.
"It's nasty weather out there and the high winds and heavy rain can bring down branches and trees on our powerlines and equipment," West Penn Power spokesperson Will Boye said.
Boye said a storm response plan is in place.
"Implementing 16-hour shifts for our personnel so we've got round-the-clock coverage, making sure we're fully staffed to respond to the storm and also just preparing to bring in additional resources if we need them," Boye said. "That could be contractors, additional line workers and potentially line workers from our sister utilities in other states."
Boye said heavy rain saturates the ground and when you add strong wind gusts, it makes getting the power back on even harder.
"We can't operate our bucket trucks safely when the wind gusts exceed 40 miles per hour, so we are expecting some wind tomorrow as well," Boye said. "So that could slow us down a little bit in terms of restoring some of these outages."
He advises people to stay at least 30 feet away from downed or low-hanging power lines if they run into one. Boye also said people should only use heaters that are safe for indoor use.
"Don't use gas stoves or kerosene heaters or things that could generate carbon monoxide in your home. If you're using a backup generator, make sure that's always outside the home and keep it far away from any doors, vents or windows," he said.
If you end up in the dark, he said don't forget to report your outage. You can call 1-888-544-4877, text "out" to 544487 or visit here.
