Staff writer
agillooly@observer-reporter.com
A fast-moving storm pummeled Western Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon, dumping almost an inch of rain in a matter of about 30 minutes.
Terry Parrish, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Moon Township, said a cold front moved into the area from the northwest, ushering in showers as well as cooler, less humid conditions.
"With all that hot and humid weather, the cold front brought in a line of showers," he said. "Once it hit someplace, it probably only stayed for about a half-hour."
Parrish said there had been numerous reports of toppled trees and downed wires not only in Pennsylvania but also in East Ohio.
An Allegheny Energy spokeswoman said crews were working Sunday afternoon to restore power to nearly 5,500 customers in Western Pennsylvania.
While specific numbers for Washington and Greene counties were not immediately available, the company indicated that those areas experienced only scattered outages.
By all accounts, Washington County escaped the storm almost unscathed.
A Washington County 911 supervisor said there were only two reports of downed wires in Washington County - one in East Bethlehem Township and the other in West Finley Township.
Parrish said Washington County residents will wake up today to patchy fog, which will turn into partly cloudy skies later in the day.
He said that the temperature will drop into the mid-80s, and the humidity that has dogged the area for the past week will become less severe. The mercury will dip into the mid-60s this evening, with temperatures expected to remain in the 80s throughout the week.
Parrish said there was a 30 to 40 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms today and Tuesday.