Pittsburgh Seeing Record Tornado Numbers, Precipitation Amounts

PITTBURGH, PA — The Pittsburgh area has been plagued by a record-setting amount of tornadoes and precipitation thus far this year, according to the National Weather Service.

Friday's twister outbreak in and around Pittsburgh brought the total number of tornadoes in the area to 14 in May. That surpasses the 11 tornadoes that occurred in the region in May 1985.

The NWS said over the weekend that tornadoes occurred Friday afternoon in or around:

• Pittsburgh's Highland Park section around the Pittsburgh Zoo.

• Pittsburgh's Lincoln Place neighborhood.

• The Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin.

• Harrison City in Westmoreland County.

• Lincoln-Mount Vernon-Elrama in Washington and Allegheny Counties.

No serious injuries occurred during the outbreak, and property damage was confined mostly to downed trees. Despite being one of the hardest hit areas, the Pittsburgh Zoo was able to open on Saturday.

On Monday, the weather service released statistics indicating the Pittsburgh area has had the wettest start to a year on record. The area has received a whopping 22.67 inches of precipitation this year - that's 8.22 inches above the Jan. 1-May 20 average of 14.45 inches.

How much above normal is that? According to the weather service, to get back to normal amounts of precipitation for the year, it would have to not rain for the next two months.