Connect with us

Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburgh area experiencing unprecedented tornado season

Published

on

Pittsburgh area experiencing unprecedented tornado season


PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – A wicked week of weather has left residents picking up the pieces throughout the region after multiple tornadoes touched down, including the first in Pittsburgh city limits since 1998.

It’s been an active and unprecedented tornado season for Southwestern Pennsylvania, and according to experts, storm season began a bit early this year.

Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen storms and high winds create a path of destruction throughout the region, including last weekend in Washington County, before it started again yesterday in parts of Westmoreland, Washington, and Allegheny counties.

The National Weather Service confirmed 19 tornadoes in the tri-state area this year, with 10 in Pennsylvania.

Advertisement

Fourteen happened this month alone, the most we’ve seen in May since 1985. Four of those twisters happened across the Pittsburgh region on Friday.

These numbers are abnormally high. The average number for the entire year is six.

The Pittsburgh Zoo did not take a day off Saturday after a tornado came through on Friday. Parts are a bit messy with leaves and tree limbs strewn about.

On people’s minds was just how rare it was that a tornado was in the city itself.

Tornadoes and Western Pennsylvania don’t typically find themselves in the same sentence.

Advertisement

“It’s not something that usually happens; it’s like a Kansas thing,” Mat Georgetti said.

Or so Georgetti thought. He spent his day at the Pittsburgh Zoo.

“It’s kind of wild because we have a bunch of mountains here.”

Over in Westmoreland County, National Weather Service meteorologist Matthew Kramar was assessing the damage of what was determined to be an EF0 tornado.

“People are very lucky. It moved over highly residential areas. This is a crisis adverted in a way that the damage was as minimal as it was. The tornado was not very strong, but still enough to cause damage to trees, siding, shingles,” Kramar said.

Advertisement

He got a look at a trampoline that was mangled.

“All of a sudden, I saw the wind going crazy behind me,” Matt Kaninberg said.

Kaninberg says it all happened quickly.

“I didn’t think anything of it. My wife calls me and says you need to get outside now. I look[ed] out, and my trampoline was two houses down; it was crazy.”

Kramar says we average four to six tornadoes a year. We’ve had 19 this year, including 14 in May alone.

Advertisement

“We are well ahead of schedule on our tornado season,” Kramar said.

Zoo employee Christopher Haro experienced the storm on his way home.

“It’s a bit scary,” Haro said. “It’s a real shocker, I mean, the hot and the cold weather, especially this late in the season already, it’s a lot of devastation going on, so we’re worrying driving home, being inside the house or even with the dogs at home, it’s a lot.”

Everyone is hoping the weather simply calms down.

Advertisement



Source link

Pittsburg, PA

Flight heading to New York from Chicago diverts to Pittsburgh for a

Published

on

Flight heading to New York from Chicago diverts to Pittsburgh for a



A United flight traveling from Chicago to New York City diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport on Saturday afternoon for what was described as a “reported threat.” 

According to information provided by the Allegheny County Airport Authority and FBI Pittsburgh, United Flight 2092 diverted to Pittsburgh and landed safely. 

United Flight 2092 from O’Hare (Chicago) to LaGuardia (NYC) diverted to Pittsburgh International Airport.

Advertisement

KDKA Photojournalist Anthony Sichi


The passengers have deplaned safely, and no injuries have been reported. 

“The plane was diverted and landed at Pittsburgh International Airport,” FBI Pittsburgh said in a statement provided to KDKA-TV. “All passengers and crew safely evacuated the aircraft. FBI Special Agent Bomb Techs and Special Agents are on the ground coordinating with local authorities.”

The airport authority has said that law enforcement is on the scene and investigating. 

Advertisement

This is a developing story, and will be updated. 



Source link

Continue Reading

Pittsburg, PA

Pittsburgh’s 2026 Draft Short List – The Team’s Eight Most Likely First-Round Selections

Published

on

Pittsburgh’s 2026 Draft Short List – The Team’s Eight Most Likely First-Round Selections


The NFL Draft is always unpredictable and under a new head coach, it’s fuzzier than any time in recent memory to guess who the Pittsburgh Steelers will select in the first round. But if history continues predicting the future, it’ll be one of the eight below names.

Every year since at least 2010, Pittsburgh’s first-round pick has fallen into one of two camps: either the player came in for a pre-draft visit or a decision maker, head coach or general manager, attended that prospect’s pro day. 

So let’s assume that holds true even though we know it may not. Under those criteria, there are eight names that fit. Let’s break them down into the two buckets.

Pre-Draft Visit

WR Denzel Boston/Washington
WR Makai Lemon/USC
OT Spencer Fano/Utah
OG Vega Ioane/Penn State
CB Chris Johnson/CB San Diego State
S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren/Toledo

Advertisement

Pro Day Attendance

OT Monroe Freeling/Georgia
ILB CJ Allen/Georgia

Could you stretch it to more? I suppose. Texas Tech ILB Jacob Rodriguez could be argued in the first round. Ditto with Georgia Tech OG Keylan Rutledge and Arizona DB Treydan Stukes. But those feel far less likely to be taken on Day 1, let alone at No. 21.

Mike McCarthy and Omar Khan attended only the Bulldogs’ Pro Day this year, an unusually low number of workouts compared to the past. McCarthy told reporters he planned to attend six but only made it to Georgia. That leaves just two names from that bucket, and Freeling could easily be off the board by the time Pittsburgh picks. He may be on Cleveland’s radar. 

Of the eight, who is most likely? That opinion can and will vary. Receiver and offensive line have been specific areas of focus, but there’s no telling how the board will fall. I’ll have my final mock draft Tuesday with my answer.

If the Steelers’ pick isn’t one of these eight, it’ll break a longstanding tradition. And in future years, open up the field of how the team could take at the top.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Pittsburg, PA

A who’s who of Western Pa. football will be announcing picks at the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh

Published

on

A who’s who of Western Pa. football will be announcing picks at the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh






Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending