Possible Tornado Damages Pittsburgh Area Homes, More Storms Coming

PITTSBURGH, PA — More severe weather could be in store for the Pittsburgh area in the coming days after storms rolled through the western part of the state Tuesday night, spawning a possible tornado that damaged homes and trees in Westmoreland County.

Teams from the National Weather Service were surveying storm damage near Ligonier on Wednesday, TribLive and the Associated Press reported, after a tornado warning was issued for a portion of Westmoreland County between there and Derry shortly after 3 a.m.

The warning was one of several similar alerts issued as storms barreled through eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia and western Pennsylvania during the overnight hours.

Radar also indicated Hancock County, West Virginia, and Jefferson County, Ohio, were hit by tornadoes, but teams are still to evaluate damage to determine their rating, according to Jeff Craven, the meteorologist-in-charge in the weather service’s Pittsburgh office.

Pittsburgh area residents should remain aware in the coming days as the chance for more severe weather remains high overnight Wednesday into Thursday.

The region remains under a hazardous weather outlook, according to the National Weather Service, and includes Allegheny, Washington, Greene, Westmoreland, and several other Pennsylvania counties.

According to the latest forecast, strong and possibly severe storms are possible Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Damaging wind and small hail are also possible, forecasters said.

Storms are also possible Thursday afternoon, according to the NWS.

"After a dry day (Wednesday, unsettled conditions with periodic showers and storms return Thursday and persist through Saturday," the NWS said in its latest forecast.

Showers could persist into the weekend when temperatures are expected to cool.

Here's a look at the detailed forecast for the next several days:

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers, mainly after 5 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 57. West wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday: Showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 1 p.m. High near 68. East wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Southwest wind 8 to 11 mph becoming northwest in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Northwest wind around 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday: A chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 62. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.