Event Report

Base data

Event code CI-PWS/06837/USA
Main category Critical Infrastructure Disruption
Sub category power supply
Event date (UTC) Wed, 30 Apr 2025 07:58:40 +0000
Last update (UTC) Wed, 30 Apr 2025 10:23:47 +0000

Geolocation

Continent North-America
Country USA
Administration area State of Pennsylvania
Settlement
Exact location Greater Pittsburg area
Open Location Code: 87G2C2R3+CC
Size of affected area Multi-counties event
Additional events

Common Alerting Protocol Information

Urgency Past
Certainty Observed
Severity Extreme
Category Infra

Event details

More than 200,000 customers are without power in Pennsylvania after a storm brought destructive winds as strong as tornadoes to the Pittsburgh area. The area experienced winds gusts of over 80 to 90 mph, which are more powerful that many of the EF0 and EF1 tornadoes the region typically faces, the National Weather Service confirmed on X. The weather shared down trees and even a power pole that caught on fire. More than 216,000 households and businesses were without power in Allegheny County, which encompasses Pittsburgh, according to USA TODAY's power outage tracker. Electric utility company Duquesne Light said it was working as fast as it could to assess the storm damage from throughout the evening. The service encouraged customers to report any outages on its website or free mobile app. "The severity of the weather and extensive nature of damage will likely delay assessments and estimated restoration times," the provider wrote on X.


Less trusted : Information from a verified source, but false information is possible


Situation update

Severe storms rocked the Pittsburgh area on Tuesday evening, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes as wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour brought down trees and prompted tornado warnings. In a release late Tuesday, Allegheny County said there were at least two storm-related deaths. One person was fatally electrocuted on the South Side Slopes in Pittsburgh, but the circumstances surrounding the second death were not immediately available. Forest Hills Mayor Frank Porco declared a state of emergency for the borough late Tuesday, advising residents to limit travel to essential purposes only until further notice. Porco urged residents to remain patient and vigilant as crews work to restore power outages. "In the meantime, continue to monitor official borough communication channels for updates," Porco said. Shortly after 3 a.m. on Wednesday, Duquesne Light, which covers parts of Beaver and Allegheny counties, reported over 228,000 customers without power. First Energy is reporting that as of 3:00 a.m. Wednesday, nearly 231,000 customers are in the dark across Pennsylvania, with tens of thousands in Allegheny, Armstrong, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties. On its website, Duquesne Light said crews are working to assess damage, and once that's done, estimated times of restoration will be posted. It also requested assistance from other utility crews. "The severity of the weather and extensive nature of damage will likely delay assessments and estimated restoration times," Duquesne Light posted to social media around 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The storms brought extremely strong winds to the area. The National Weather Service said the Pittsburgh airport reported a 71.3 mph wind gust, which is the third strongest ever recorded there. The storms were quick but powerful, and people across Western Pennsylvania were left to assess the damage. On Pittsburgh's South Side, a roof was ripped off the building that houses PerLora Furniture. It landed at the intersection of East Carson Street and the Birmingham Bridge. "It sounded like a tornado or something. It sounded really loud. I was crossing the Hot Metal Street Bridge, and I could hear it wailing. It was scary," Vijay Cherupally, of South Side, said. The roof also blew off Fiori's, a beloved Pittsburgh pizza shop on West Liberty Avenue. "Oh boy, they're going to fix it," Fiore Moscatiello, owner of the pizza joint, said while holding back tears. In Robinson Township, three trees smashed into a home, causing serious damage. There were no injuries.

Casualties

Number of dead: 2 person(s)
Number of injured: 0 person(s)
Number of Affected: 400000 person(s)
Number of Rescued/evacuated: 0 person(s)
Number of Missing: 0 person(s)
Number of Infected: 0 person(s)

Event Specific Details


[Critical Infrastructure Disruption - power supply]

Overview map



Risk Analisys

Nearest marine ports There is no known marine port nearby.
Nearest airports 600 Grant Street Rooftop Heliport (0,15 km), 600 Grant Street Rooftop Heliport (0,15 km), Allegheny General Hospital Emergency Heliport (1,15 km), Allegheny General Hospital Emergency Heliport (1,15 km), Mercy Hospital Heliport (1,16 km)
Nearest nuclear power plant Beaver Valley 2 (42,03 km), Beaver Valley 2 (42,03 km), Beaver Valley 1 (42,11 km), Beaver Valley 1 (42,11 km), Shippingport (42,22 km)

Country Information

Code2US
CodeUSA
NameUnited States
LocalNameUnited States
GovernmentFormFederal Republic
ContinentNorth America
RegionNorth America
SurfaceArea9363520.00
IndepYear1776
Population278357000
LifeExpectancy77.1
GNP8510700.00
GNPOld8110900.00
Capital3813