Weather takes a turn
The updraft from thunderstorms Wednesday evening combined with dry air in the atmosphere to cause a downdraft that knocked down trees and power lines, and flipped over planes parked at the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport.
The downdraft, also known as a microburst, intensified the thunderstorm that caused the damage and cut power to 1,425 residents in the areas of Petrolia and Chicora as well as Penn and Jefferson townships. Power to those residents was gradually restored throughout the night.
Some areas of the county received little or no rain from the storm.
Bobbi Taylor wasn't home when the storm struck around 5 p.m., but returned to find a tree through the roof of her home on Mushrush Road in Jefferson Township.
“It was like a microburst. The tree came down on the roof. It busted the roof over the bedroom. The living room got it too,” Taylor said. “It's just a hideous mess.”In Penn Township, hail preceded the rain and the ensuing storm felled trees and power lines that forced the closure of Airport, Crisswell, Rockdale and Dutchtown roads and part of Three Degree Road, and blew over planes at the airport, said township police officer Jack Ripper.“It hailed like crazy down here. Shortly after that is when all the calls started coming in,” Ripper said.He said the volunteer fire department and street department cleared the downed trees from the roads. All the roads were reopened by 7:45 p.m.Middlesex Township police assisted.No injuries or flooding was reported. Ripper said he looked at one creek and it was running well below flood level.A severe thunderstorm warning for the county was lifted by 6 p.m. after the worst of the weather moved on, said Myranda Fullerton, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.The severe weather was produced by the updraft from the storm rising to combine with dry air, she said.“We had a lot of hot, dry air in the atmosphere. Our dew point was very high. It was very muggy,” Fullerton said. “The environment was right for that kind of event.”The dry air made the atmosphere unstable when the thunderstorms rolled in, she said.Showers and thunderstorms remain in the forecast for Thursday. There is potential for strong to severe storms in the afternoon and evening, Fullerton said.The forecast calls for a chance of rain through the weekend.
