Powerful Storms Sweep Through Area Overnight
PITTSBURGH (KDKA)- Powerful storms swept through the region late Monday night and early Tuesday morning.
The storms brought lightning, thunder, high winds and plenty of rain.
The weather caused some damage in the form of landslides. Around 1:30 a.m., police had to close off part of Greentree Road in the West End. A landslide left mud and debris along the road near Wabash Street. The debris was cleaned up and the road reopened around 3:30 a.m.
Around 2:25 a.m., police were forced to block off part of Route 837 in West Mifflin. A landslide brought a tree down across the road, near the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge. Part of the road was also submerged in water, forcing police to block off more of it. The tree was pushed off to the side of the road and the water receded, allowing traffic to move.
Also, a house was struck by lightning in Franklin Park around 3 a.m. Tuesday along Bellwood Court. Firefighters searched the home and couldn't find any damage.
Further north, a tree was knocked over in Beaver Falls and came to rest on a nearby home. It happened around 12:30 a.m. along Fifth Avenue.
"The wind began to blow very hard and I got up to shut the windows," said Jeff Noyes, the owner of the home. "Then, we heard a loud banging on the roof. We looked out and saw that the tree had fallen over."
"It was windy and thundering and lightning, and then the power went out and we heard the big bang and woke up to see that this morning," said Carrie Broge, a neighbor.
Neighbors gathered outside surprised to see the old tree resting against the house.
The asphalt on the street broken, the sidewalk lifted. An amazing force rolled through to topple the tree.
"It was just a typical storm and the wind began to blow very hard and that's when the tree fell over," said Noyes.
No major damage was caused to this house. And no one inside the home was injured.
"We never expected the tree to come down and for it to look like that," said Broge. "Thank God they're okay though."
Some bricks from the chimney were knocked off by some of the branches and the gutter was damaged, but the house was structurally okay and the Noyes family was able to stay in their home.
"Everything was stable, so we were safe," said Noyes. "It could have been much worse so we're very thankful."
There were also reports of downed trees and power lines in several other communities, as well as some scattered power outages.
There were no reports of injuries.
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