Severe thunderstorms that slammed central Ohio weakened as they approached Western Pennsylvania late Tuesday, but the heavy rain associated with the massive storm system is triggering some major flooding concerns.
Between 2 and 3.5 inches of rain had fallen since late Monday night and through torrential downpours Tuesday, leading to flooding in all corners of Western Pennsylvania.
The National Weather Service in Moon recorded 2.68 inches of rain Tuesday, a record for any April day in Pittsburgh’s recorded history.
A flood advisory remains in effect for the Ohio River in Downtown, where floodwaters closed the “bathtub” section of the Parkway East and the 10th Street Bypass and also started to submerge the Point State Park fountain and surrounding river trails. The advisory is in effect until Thursday.
The river was expected to continue rising Wednesday and crest at 27 feet early Thursday. As of Wednesday at about 3 p.m., it had reached 25 feet.
At 27 feet, the Point State Park fountain would be nearly submerged, and businesses along the North Shore can be affected. It would rank among the top 30 highest crests on record, dating to the early 1900s, and the highest since 2018 (27.49 feet).
FLOODING UPDATES
3:15 p.m.
City deploys homeless outreach teams
Camila Alarcon, assistant director of the city's Office of Community Health and Safety, said a team was deployed on Wednesday throughout the city to ensure all of those living in homeless encampments were safe.
“Our co-response team deployed throughout the day to both the Mon Wharf and the Allegheny Wharf to ensure that no one was there,” she said in a statement. “We had additional support later in the day from the Downtown safety officers. Our co-response unit are currently doing more checks today to ensure no one is at risk.”
The City's Outreach ROOTS team also spread out to known homeless encampment sites, including in the West End, South Side, North Side and Downtown areas, to ensure that people were safe and had access to services and resources, Ms. Alarcon said.
The city also collaborated with county outreach partners including Bridge and the Field Service Unit with the county’s Department of Human Services.
“This included walking along all the river trails to ensure the camps and residents were safe,” Ms. Alarcon said.
— Jordan Anderson
2:05 p.m.
Shaler resident laments constant flooding: ‘I’m tired of it’
Josie Miller, 85, has lived on Elm Street in Shaler since she was 5, and she said the flooding her neighborhood experienced on Wednesday is nothing new.
"I'm tired of it," she said. "I'm ready to sell the house. My electric went out at 6 this morning, and my pumps stopped working."
Storms in the past have routinely brought flooding, Ms. Miller said. When the remnants of Hurricane Ivan roared into Western Pennsylvania in 2004, it brought widespread flooding and damage to multiple areas of Allegheny County. For Ms. Miller, the storm brought water all the way to the second story of her house.
Her son, who lives nearby, “got the worst of it” from the heavy rains on Tuesday and Wednesday, she said.
"He's in the back of the woods,” she said.
Two houses down from Ms. Miller, David Maybee said he had to pump 6 inches of water from his basement Tuesday night.
Mr. Maybee has only lived there for about 18 months, but he said this week’s rain is the worst he's seen since living there.
"My landlord said it hasn't been this bad in five years," he said.
— Ciara McEneany
1:10 p.m.
Rain slowly moving out
The radar was starting to look a little less green in Western Pennsylvania. Lighter precipitation was falling in and around Pittsburgh, and drier conditions were moving in from west to east.
Some heavier rain was still hanging around parts of Westmoreland, Fayette, Armstrong, Indiana and Somerset counties, but gradual clearing was expected as the afternoon progressed.
That doesn’t mean the risk of flooding immediately subsides.
Runoff from two-plus days of heavy rain means rivers, creeks and streams may continue to rise even after the rain has completely stopped. Those waterways were likely to continue to rise through early Thursday morning before falling back.
Allegheny County Emergency Services advised drivers to heed the common refrain in times of flooding: Turn around, don’t drown. The county said its swiftwater and flood response teams were monitoring the flooding and were prepared to assist where needed.
12:25 p.m.
Pittsburgh homeless encampments barren
Several encampments along the Three Rivers Heritage Trail are abandoned, with soaked tents and some still partially open to the rain trickling in.
In other areas, tents were completely flattened. Soaked crumbled up shirts, jackets and bags scattered the muddy ground.
Near the Rachel Carlson Bridge, one part of the trail was entirely submerged in water.
— Jordan Anderson
12:05 p.m.
Millvale businesses bracing
Cars splashed through the puddles on Grant Avenue in Millvale on Wednesday morning, the sidewalks empty.
A few streets over, Girty's Run was flowing swiftly and furiously between the town's businesses and homes.
Local business Asgard Raw Dog and Cat Food sits right next to the tributary.
Wednesday was business as usual, a store associate said, but it’s had to close in the past from flooding.
Further up the water way, Attic Record Store is always prepared for flooding.
Store manager Tony Thiel said that ever since the 2004 "great flood" that hit Millvale and destroyed almost a million records at the shop, the store takes as many precautions as it can. Which included putting sandbags against the door overnight.
"It destroyed Millvale," Mr. Thiel said. "We think about it all the time. But today we're open for business."
— Ciara McEneany
11:25 a.m.
Hillside falls in O’Hara
Frey Erwin maneuvered his dark blue SUV around the cones and “road closed” signs to his home about 500 feet away on Saxonburg Boulevard. Little Pine Creek runs just yards away, but he said he wasn’t concerned despite the deluge Wednesday.
He said work done on the creek over the years has meant far less flooding in his area.
“We get along pretty good,” Mr. Erwin said.
His garage still floods sometimes, he said, but it was still dry as of late morning. He questioned the need to close the road — Little Pine Creek was nowhere near spilling over.
The answer was about a mile northeast on Saxonburg near Berryhill Road, where crews worked to clean up the mud and muck of the fallen hillside.
It wasn’t clear how long the road might be closed, but muddy water continued to pour from the hillside as crews loaded muddy debris for dump trucks to haul away.
— Megan Guza
10 a.m.
Water rescues in Beaver County
Beaver Falls and Franklin Township firefighters rescued a couple and their two dogs from their home, which was surrounded by flood water, on McKim Way in North Sewickley on Wednesday morning.
The Connoquenessing Creek overflowed its banks and the road was closed.
Workers were trudging through knee-high water and using boats to help people and clear debris.
— Lucy Schaly
8 a.m.
Road and parking closures
PennDOT announced it will close the “bathtub” section of the Parkway East (I-376) in Pittsburgh at about 10 a.m. Wednesday in anticipation of flooding. Traffic will be detoured between Grant Street and the Fort Pitt Bridge.
PennDOT’s suggested detour is:
- From westbound I-376, traffic will take the Grant Street (Exit 71A) off-ramp
- Turn left onto Fort Pitt Boulevard
- Bear left onto the westbound I-376 ramp toward Fort Pitt Bridge/Airport
- End detour
The following ramps will also be closed:
- Ramp from Grant Street to westbound I-376
- Ramp from Fifth Avenue/Boulevard of the Allies to west near Oakland
- Access from Point State Park to eastbound I-376
- Ramp from Stanwix Street to eastbound I-376
- Ramp from Market Street to eastbound I-376
- Ramp from Wood Street to eastbound I-376
The ramp from the Fort Duquesne Bridge to the outbound Parkway East will also close around the same time.
The suggested detour for that route is:
- Take southbound I-279 to the Fort Pitt Bridge/westbound I-376
- Continue through the Fort Pitt Tunnel
- Take the Banksville Road/Route 19 (Exit 69A) exit
- Keep left and loop back to eastbound I-376, following signs for Uniontown/Route51
- Continue through the Fort Pitt Tunnel
- Stay in the right-hand lane and follow signs to eastbound I-376/Monroeville
- End detour
In addition, PennDOT announced early Wednesday that the 10th Street Bypass between the Fort Duquesne Bridge and Fort Duquesne Boulevard in Downtown Pittsburgh was closed. The detour will take drivers onto Fort Duquesne Boulevard instead.
The Mon Wharf will also close because of the threat of rising river levels. The Public Parking Authority of Pittsburgh said it would remain closed until further notice.
River levels are not expected to recede below the Mon Wharf’s flood stage until about Saturday.
Numerous roads all throughout Western Pennsylvania were closing because of flooding or damage. The full scope of the closures can be found at 511PA.com.
In Allegheny County, PennDOT reported the following roads were closed as of about 6 a.m.:
- Route 837 between the McKeesport Duquesne Bridge in the Duquesne and McClure Street in Dravosburg
- 5th Avenue between Hartman Street and Evans Avenue in McKeesport
- Route 51 at Stoops Ferry Road in Moon – southbound lanes closed
- Verona Road between Mt. Carmel Road and Lincoln Road in Penn Hills
- Streets Run Road between Brentwood Road and Glass Run Road in Pittsburgh
- Lincoln Way between Coulterville Road and Route 48 in White Oak
- Long Run Road at Cool Springs Road in White Oak
Forecast
More rain and strong wind gusts were expected throughout the day Wednesday, with some gusts as high as 30 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures will be in the low 50s.
It will get cooler through Saturday, with highs in the mid- to upper 40s and a chance of a mix of rain and snow showers Thursday and Friday.
Then, a warming trend is on the horizon. Temperatures will rise back into the upper 50s Sunday and push and into the mid- to upper 60s on Monday and Tuesday.
First Published: April 3, 2024, 10:25 a.m.
Updated: April 3, 2024, 11:20 p.m.
