Storms rumble through region, causing damage
Storms rolled throughout Butler County on Tuesday, and included reports of hail in Chicora.
Around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Butler County was placed under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m. by the National Weather Service of Pittsburgh. The county first saw storms in the northern part of the county, which included multiple reports of hail.
“They were pretty strong and produced strong wind gusts,” said Michael Brown, meteorologist for the weather service.
In Worthington, Armstrong County, the wind felled multiple trees into homes and yards.
“Honest to God, I thought it was lighting,” said Bobbi Jensen of Worthington, regarding the snapping of trees and limbs.
Jensen was at her daughter's home where a large portion of an old oak tree destroyed the porch, also breaking windows and damaging the roof.
“I was surprised how fast it happened,” she said. “It was just like a microburst.”
In Butler County, North Washington Fire Chief Bruce Confer confirmed the presence of hail Tuesday.“We saw pea-sized hail and rain in sheets,” he said.Scattered showers proceeded throughout the county during the day Tuesday.Confer said fire departments across the county responded to calls for downed trees and power lines.Both West Penn Power and Central Electric Co-op reported power outages, largely in the northern part of the county.Around 3:30 p.m., Central Electric Co-op reported outages in multiple townships, the worst being in Concord Township with 448 of 510 customers affected, followed by Oakland Township with 241 of 705 customers and Fairview Township with 145 of 254 customers.West Penn Power also reported multiple outages. The worst of the outages appeared in Fairview Township with 42 of 743 customers affected, followed by Washington Township with 316 of 481 customers affected.Almost all of the company's customers in both Venango Township, 213 of 222, and Eau Claire Borough, 165 of 172, were without power.Both electric companies estimated restoration would be between 4:30 and 7 p.m. Tuesday.Todd Meyers, a spokesman for West Penn Power, said his crews saw a fair amount of damage in a few areas.He estimated the total customers affected by outages to be around 3,100.“What we're seeing is tree damage. It's primarily large limbs coming down and bringing down line,” Meyers said. “It's all associated with that time period with that wind.”Meyers said most of the affected areas are rural, and some are not accessible with the crews' trucks.“They're out there,” he said. “They need to climb, so it does take some extra time.”Jamie Enscoe, owner of the Beer Garden at 2399 Oneida Valley Road, said many of her customers were in the midst of a power outage, although her business maintained power. She said many were looking for a place to stay until their power was restored.“We had a lot of families here tonight,” Enscoe said.She said her customers told her about trees downed along Cemetery Road and a large number of people in Fairview Township without power.Enscoe said she saw less of the storm than she was hoping for. She said there were high winds and some hail, but little rain, which has been sorely needed in the county after being under a drought warning since last week.“I'm ready for a good storm,” she said. “We really need rain.”While rain could restore the balance of the county's drought situation, every storm brings risks of damage, according to Meyers.He said trees and lines fall regularly due to the wind and rain, but the important thing for people to remember is to never approach a downed line.“Always be mindful that any wire you see on the ground could be an energized line,” Meyers said. “Lines don't need to be jumping around and sparking to be a live wire.”Anyone who sees a downed power line should call 911 or West Penn Power at 1-888-LIGHTSS.
