5 day forecast
Wind chill advisory expires as Pittsburgh, region, rebounds from frigid morning
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A pedestrain crosses McKee Place, Downtown, with 4 degrees showing before dawn on a nearby bank sign. -
Joe Bogacki of the South Side waited along Stanwix Street in the cold yesterday for a bus. Slightly colder temperatures today will mean more bundling up for commuters.
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Although the wind increased slightly late this morning across southwestern Pennsylvania, so has the temperature and cloud cover, so the wind chill advisory has expired.
However, the wind chill advisory remained posted until 3 p.m. for the ridgetops of Fayette and Westmoreland counties, and for Somerset, Cambria and Clearfield counties and locations to the north.
At Pittsburgh International Airport, 11 a.m. readings indicated temperature had risen to 11 degrees with a wind chill of minus 4. Winds were from the southwest at 12 mph with gusts to 17 mph.
Just before 8 a.m., the temperature stood at 4 degrees with wind chills of minus 6 at the airport.
Diminishing wind and a small temperature increase probably were little consolation for residents who've had to deal with the cold weather that has caused school delays, power outages, traffic issues and other disruptions.
West Penn Power customers in North Fayette were without power for about seven hours overnight.
Company spokeswoman Diane Holder said more than 850 lost service after a tree fell and took down some wires and shut off power about 12:30 a.m. It was not caused by a blown transformer.
Power was restored about 9:20 a.m., Ms. Holder said.
Township fire Chief Gary Hamilton said a warming center had been set up at the fire department Station 1 on Steubenville Pike, but as of 7:15 a.m., no one had needed to take shelter.
At first, 250 customers were without power in the township, Ms. Holder said. But to make repairs, the company had to force another 590 out. The wire fell in a "muddy, swamp-type area" and crews must climb poles, which can take a little longer.
Streets around Walden Woods, a residential development in the township, were affected by the outage, Ms. Holder said.
About 250 customers are out of power in Washington County after a vehicle crashed into a pole near Western Area Career and Technology Center.
Ms. Holder said 164 people were initially without power, and another 69 lost service so crews could make repairs. Most of those customers are in Mount Pleasant and Chartiers townships. Power is expected to be restored by 3 p.m., Ms. Holder said. It is not clear if the crash was related to road conditions.
A four-vehicle crash on an icy Parkway North near the Camp Horne Road exit restricted northbound lanes this morning, according to Pennsylvania State Police in the Moon barracks. The lanes have since been reopened. No injuries were reported in the crash.
The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority assisted Carnegie Mellon University with a water main break this morning on campus. The break was on Forbes Avenue, but did not affect any PWSA customers, spokeswoman Melissa Rubin said.
CMU spokeswoman Abby Simmons said the break had no impact to campus water service.
PWSA is assisting the university in shutting down the line so there will be minimal damage, she added. A private plumber hired by CMU will make repairs.
In Wilkinsburg, a water main break around 2 a.m. caused service disruption and ice to form along Penn Avenue near the intersection with Montier Street. Wilkinsburg police confirmed the water main break has been repaired. The busy roadway has been treated and traffic is moving normally.
Under mostly clear skies overnight that allowed for radiational cooling, temperatures fell to around zero in Wednesday's predawn hours, bringing a second-consecutive day of school delays. The Pittsburgh Public Schools were among the districts operating under a 2-hour delay. Community groups and organizations also modified their schedules. For a complete list of delays and closings, visit the PG's news partner, KDKA-TV.
A lake effect snow warning remains in effect for Erie, Crawford and Warren counties, where 2 to 4 inches are expected to fall today with 3 to 5 inches more tonight.
In Pittsburgh and suburban areas, clouds will increase with a chance of light snow. Temperatures should reach only about 15 degrees.
For the latest advisories and watches, visit the website of the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.
First Published January 23, 2013 5:50 am
