Bands of showers and thunderstorms formed ahead of a crossing cold front around midday on April 26th. Instability this day was not particularly strong.
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS PBZ wrote it up.
Bands of showers and thunderstorms formed ahead of a crossing cold front around midday on April 26th. Instability this day was not particularly strong. However, a few strong storms did manage to form in Westmoreland County, and these storms were able to mix down strong winds from aloft. Multiple reports of wind damage were received. One house lost a roof on Keystone Park Road near Alexandria, and there were several other reports of downed trees and power lines.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Pittsburgh, PA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 26, 11:10 AM EST, 14 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 1210 PM EDT Fri Apr 26 2019 .SYNOPSIS... Unsettled period through much of the weekend as a series of low pressure systems roll through the Ohio Valley. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/... Widespread showers will continue through the day. Instability values do not seem high enough to warrant lightning mention, and while an isolated threat cannot be ruled out, have decided to remove thunderstorms from the forecast. Heavy downpours are possible with any storm as deep moisture will overspread the region. The cold front itself is now across eastern counties in the forecast area, having passing through downtown Pittsburgh. A tightening surface pressure gradient ahead of the front and pressure rises behind it, will support gusty winds today. && .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY/... Rather impressive post-frontal cold advection will yield chilly temperatures tonight and Saturday. Would also expect to see a stratocu deck cover at least the eastern half of the region in the cold air regime. The lower clouds should remain over a portion of the region through Saturday morning, until weak warm air advection takes over and shoves the cold pool aloft to the northeast. Any precipitation Friday night/Saturday morning would likely be in close correlation with the coldest air aloft and along the ridges due to a good upslope flow. The atmosphere across the far north looks cold enough to support snow flakes, but with lowering inversions and the loss of upper level moisture, it will be difficult to form flakes. Adequate mixing at low levels will support the continued threat for gusty wind on Saturday. A progressive shortwave trough will increase precipitation chances once again late Saturday/early Sunday, with building high pressure progged thereafter. Another shot of cold air, behind the shortwave, will yield another chilly day on Sunday. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... Rising heights and building high pressure will support a dry and warming trend early in the week, with later-period precipitation chances influenced by upper disturbances embedded within a predominately zonal flow. && .AVIATION /16Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... A cold front will cross the region through early afternoon with showers in the vicinity and trailing the frontal boundary. Winds will veer and strengthen after frontal passage with gusts between 25 and 30kts on average. LLWS is possible this morning ahead of the front. A return to VFR is expected with post-frontal clearing this evening. .Outlook...Restriction potential returns with low pressure Sat night/Sun and again late Mon/Tue. && .PBZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MD...None. OH...None. PA...None. WV...None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 401 AM EDT Fri Apr 26 2019 MDZ001-OHZ039>041-048>050-057>059-068-069-PAZ007>009-013>016-020>023- 029-031-073>076-WVZ001>004-012-021-509>514-270815- Garrett-Tuscarawas-Carroll-Columbiana-Coshocton-Harrison- Jefferson OH-Muskingum-Guernsey-Belmont-Noble-Monroe-Mercer-Venango- Forest-Lawrence-Butler-Clarion-Jefferson PA-Beaver-Allegheny- Armstrong-Indiana-Washington-Greene-Westmoreland-Westmoreland Ridges- Fayette-Fayette Ridges-Hancock-Brooke-Ohio-Marshall-Wetzel-Marion- Monongalia-Ridges of Eastern Monongalia and Northwestern Preston- Preston-Eastern Preston-Western Tucker-Eastern Tucker- 401 AM EDT Fri Apr 26 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for western Maryland, east central Ohio, northwest Pennsylvania, southwest Pennsylvania, west central Pennsylvania, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia and northern panhandle of West Virginia. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
Special Weather Statement National Weather Service Pittsburgh PA 1111 AM EDT Fri Apr 26 2019 PAZ020-021-029-261545- Beaver-Washington-Allegheny- 1111 AM EDT Fri Apr 26 2019 ...A SHOWER CAPABLE OF PRODUCING GUSTY WIND WILL AFFECT NORTHWESTERN WASHINGTON...SOUTHERN BEAVER AND WEST CENTRAL ALLEGHENY COUNTIES... At 1108 AM EDT, a line of showers were located near Imperial, or 9 miles southwest of Moon Township, moving east at 30 mph. Isolated damaging wind gusts of up to 55 mph will be possible along this line of showers as it continues east. Locations impacted include... Upper St. Clair... Robinson Township... Kennedy Township... Bridgeville... Imperial... McDonald... Sturgeon-Noblestown... Oakdale... Burgettstown... Collier Township... Enlow... South Fayette Township... This includes the following highways... Interstate 79 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 52 and 55, and between mile markers 58 and 63. Interstate 376 in Pennsylvania between mile markers 54 and 63. This shower may intensify, so monitor local radio or television stations for additional information and possible warnings from the National Weather Service. LAT...LON 4039 8041 4049 8040 4048 8010 4032 8011 TIME...MOT...LOC 1508Z 276DEG 17KT 4042 8035
The Pittsburgh radar (KPBZ), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:24 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and wires were reported to be blown down on Cedar Creek Road.
Multiple trees were reported to be blown down on Oakford Park Road.
Trees were blown down at the intersection of Route 119 and Cameo Lane.
County 911 officials reported that a tree and wires were felled on to Buffenmeyer Road.
A roof was reported to have been blown off of a house on Keystone Park Road, with numerous other trees also down in the area.
A tree and wires were downed on to Matson Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Pennsylvania in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, April 2019
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 817568, 817569, 817570, 817571, 817572, 817574, 817573.