Apr 1, 2023 2 min read

Here we go again.

Just as the region was recovering from widespread power outages due to high winds that swept through Western Pennsylvania last weekend, another storm is blowing through the area.

Wind gusts up to 65 miles per hour with sustained winds of 25 to 35 miles per hour are expected during much of today from severe weather that could also bring thunderstorms. A high wind watch is in effect until 8 p.m. today in lower elevations and until 2 a.m. Sunday in the ridges.

This weather system is coming a week after heavy winds knocked out power to 53,000 West Penn Power customers in the region last weekend.

“Unfortunately, this will be fairly comparable with what we dealt with last weekend,” said Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh.

That has crews on standby ready to restore electricity in response to this new storm, West Penn Power spokesman Todd Meyers said. He said the biggest concern is that many repairs made over the last week to restore power to customers were temporary until permanent fixes could be made. That means there could again be widespread power outages similar to what many customers experienced last weekend.

“It’s here we go again,” Meyers said. “We ask for patience. We ask for people to get prepared and get ready for this storm, just like we’re making our own storm preparations.”

Meyers said the majority of power outages are caused by wires or utility poles being brought down by fallen trees or limbs. He warned people to say away from wires lying on the ground because they may still be live even if they’re not arcing.

“In a storm like this, you have the potential for wires to be down,” he said. “So stay back.”

While the wind gusts will be similar to last weekend’s storm, Hendricks said temperatures will be warmer this weekend and the rain that fell Friday into Saturday morning could bring more trees down with softer soil around roots. There also is a slight chance of thunderstorms throughout the day, although the main concern is the sustained winds and gusts.

“Everyone just needs to be a little vigilant this weekend with these winds,” Hendricks said. “It brings in the possibility of power outages again.”