CIRS Mold Toxicity Treatment in Pittsburgh, PA

Hundreds of thousands of customers throughout Western Pennsylvania lost electrical power Friday night as tropical storm-force wind gusts swept across the region, knocking down trees and power lines.

As late as 11:30 p.m., Duquesne Light had still been reporting more than 155,000 outages in Allegheny and Beaver counties, with more than 140,000 in Allegheny alone.

The utility said it was dispatching extra crews and warned that because of potentially hazardous conditions, response times could be delayed. DLC said in a press release late Friday that it was seeking assistance from utility crews in neighboring states and Canada to assist in restoring power. On Saturday it specified in another release that 500 crews from the East Coast and Southeast — including Maine, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama — were headed to Pittsburgh to support restoration efforts.

By 8 a.m. Saturday morning, Duquesne Light’s numbers had dropped to 117,000 remaining outages. By noon, that total had shrunk to around 96,000.

The utility indicated at that time the number of outages and the breadth of the affected area was also affecting the pace of restoration and noted activity remained highest across Pittsburgh and communities east and southeast of the city.

System‑wide estimated times of restoration were not expected to be available until Sunday afternoon.

Late Friday night, FirstEnergy initially reported tens of thousands of West Penn Power customers in Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Beaver, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties were also without power. By 8 a.m. Saturday, FirstEnergy’s map showed about 72,000 remaining outages over the same area. By noon, that number had shrunk to around 59,000.

West Penn Power said in a social media post on Friday that its service saw significant damage, including broken poles and fallen trees. It said crews could not safely work in elevated buckets when wind speeds were higher than 40 mph. Winds diminished overnight Friday.

In total, at the peak of the outages Friday evening, nearly 300,000 customers in southwestern Pennsylvania were without power.

Radio dispatches around the region indicated emergency crews responded to several structure fires, some of which may have been caused by downed power lines.

The National Weather Service in Moon noted on Saturday that it had clocked one wind gust during the event at 66 mph at Pittsburgh International Airport, ranking it as the fourth highest wind gust on record there not resulting from a thunderstorm.

Damage reports

The National Weather Service received reports of high winds and damage throughout the region. Allegheny County Emergency Services said it was operating in its storm mode and asked residents to call 911 for emergencies only and not for power outages.

The city said trees, light poles and power lines were “down across many neighborhoods” Friday night and advised residents to call 911 to report fallen trees or power lines blocking roadways. The city’s Public Safety, Public Works and Department of Mobility and Infrastructure crews would be working through the night to respond to calls.

Pittsburgh Public Safety reported that traffic lights at some intersections around the city were out. Drivers should use four-way stop procedures until crews can get them back on line, the department said.

Dangerous winds have made their way across Pittsburgh & the region.NEVER touch a downed power line. Call 911 for any fallen trees or power lines blocking roadways.City Crews are all out & will be working through the night responding to calls. pic.twitter.com/u2yLljtGSU

— City of Pittsburgh (@Pittsburgh) March 14, 2026

PennDOT said Commercial Street would be closed between Whipple Street in Swisshelm Park and Summerset Drive in Squirrel Hill until about noon Saturday as crews work to secure loose material from the work zone near the Parkway East. Post-Gazette news partner KDKA-TV reported trees fell onto homes in Marshall-Shadeland, Greensburg and Green Tree and that an auto parts store sign fell onto a vehicle in Baldwin. It also reported a house received significant wind damage in Verona.

Downed trees forced the closure of the Parkway East off-ramp to Greensburg Pike (Exit 79A) in Churchill and William Penn Highway on-ramp to the inbound Parkway East, also in Churchill.

Noblestown Road in Collier was also closed between Walker Avenue and Columbia Avenue, PennDOT said. Route 30 at Electric Avenue in East Pittsburgh and North Braddock boroughs was closed in both directions because of a downed tree. Bull Creek Road between Howes Run Road and Lardintown Road in Fawn Township was also closed on Saturday due to a downed tree in electrical wires.

In Butler County, Route 356 was closing overnight between Route 2018 and Route 228 in Buffalo Township until the scene can be cleared Saturday, PennDOT said. It was one of 12 closures due to downed trees in wires and wires laying across roadways reported in the county as of Saturday morning.

In Washington County, multiple power poles were down and blocking both lanes of Route 40 between Copper Kettle Road and Interstate 79 in the South Strabane area.

In Lower Burrell, “many trees” were down in the area along Route 56 to Hyde Park Plaza. Several reports of trees and wires down were also indicated in Lawrence County.

PennDOT cautioned that drivers should remain alert for debris, changing roadway conditions, and potential lane restrictions and closed roads while crews work to clear the affected areas.

Reports of downed trees and lines continued on Pittsburgh area emergency response scanner traffic throughout Saturday morning. For an updated list of issues and closures on major roadways, visit 511PA.com.

Among the higher wind speed recordings observed during the event was a 75 mph wind gust reported earlier in the evening in Jefferson County. The Allegheny County Airport in West Mifflin reported a wind gust near 60 mph.

Here's a link to the higher wind gust speeds that have been reported so far - the image is just part of the list. Send along any reports of wind damage that you have observed! https://t.co/AMn6wzPXWd pic.twitter.com/wTL0sOrWrL

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) March 13, 2026

High wind warning

Much of the region remained under a high wind warning through midnight.

More than 110 flights into or out of Pittsburgh International Airport were delayed Friday, and 15 had been canceled, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Winds subsided overnight, making way for a chilly but clear Saturday for Pittsburgh’s St. Patrick’s Day parade and celebrations. The high temperature Saturday will be near 50 degrees.

Highs were expected to climb into the upper 60s on Sunday and Monday, with rain likely throughout the day Monday. To start the work week, the Pittsburgh region was said by NWS to seeing a marginal risk for significant severe thunderstorms during the morning and afternoon hours. Winds were expected to gust up to 36 mph.

That weather system is expected to usher in another blast of cold, with a daytime high in the upper 20s Tuesday and an overnight low around 20 degrees, according to the NWS.

First Published: March 13, 2026, 11:16 p.m. Updated: March 14, 2026, 3:28 a.m.

Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse

If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.

PITTSBURGH — The Pennsylvania All-Star Team was finalized for the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic on Saturday, March 28, at 6 p.m. at Peters Township High School.

The Pennsylvania Women’s Team and the WPIAL All-Star teams were also announced.

CLEVELAND — The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (15-0, 8-0 B1G) will have seven top seeds at the 2026 NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 19-21 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Nittany Lions have qualified all ten wrestlers for the three-day event.

Also in the field will be Bedford County graduate Jared McGill of Ediboro (19th seed at 184)

3-22 — Test & Tune (All Divisions), 3 p.m. 3-28 — Test & Tune (All Divisions), 3 p.m. 3-29 — 90th Anniversary Opening Day (Short Track Super Series Modifieds, SLM, PS), 7 p.m. 4-3 — Fast Friday Racing (SLM, LMS, SL, PS, 4C), 7 p.m. 4-10 — Fast Friday Racing (SLM, 305, SL, 4C), 7 p.m. 4-17 — Fast Friday Racing (LMS, SL, SCDRA Northeast), 7 p.m. 4-24 — Benny Foor Memorial (SLM, PS, 4C, CV, USAC East Coast Sprints), 7 p.m. 5-1 — Fast Friday Racing (LMS, 305, SL, 4C), 7 p.m. 5-8 — Fast Friday Racing (URC Sprints, SL, PS, 4C, CV), 7 p.m. 5-15 — Fast Friday Racing (LMS, SL, PS, 4C, CV), 7 p.m. 5-17 — World of Outlaws (SLM, Mod), 7 p.m. 5-22 — Turk Burket 88 Tribute (SLM, SL, PS, 4C), 7 p.m. 5-29 — Bob Elbin Memorial (SLM, 305, SL, CV), 7 p.m. 6-5 — Kids’ Night (LMS, SL, PS, 4C), 7 p.m. 6-12 — Appalachian Mountain Speedweek (SLM, PS, Wingless Sportsman), 7 p.m. 6-14 — Sprints & Modifieds (Pa Posse 410 Sprints, BRP Modified Tour), 7 p.m. 6-19 — Charlie Walter 42 (LMS, 305, PS, CV), 7 p.m. 7-3 — Fast Friday Racing (SLM, SL, PS, 4C), 7 p.m. 7-10 — $5 Fan Night & Fireworks (305, SL, PS, 4C), 7 p.m. 7-12 — Elmer Ruby Tribute Night (Pa Posse 410 Sprint Series, SCDRA Northeast), 7 p.m. 7-17 — Fast Friday Racing (Modified Mania Tour, LMS, CV), 7 p.m. 7-31 — 152nd Annual Bedford Fair Sweepstakes Gary Martz Memorial (TBA), 7 p.m. 8-14 — Topless Friday (SLM, LMS, SL, 4C, CV), 7 p.m. 8-16 — Junior Ritchey Tribute (305, PS, Wingless Sportsman), 7 p.m. 8-21 — Muss Weyant Memorial (SLM, SL, PS, 4C), 7 p.m. 9-4 — 39th Annual Labor Day 55 (SLM, PS, CV), 7 p.m. 9-6 — Championship Night (LMS, 305, SL, 4C), 6 p.m. 9-18 — D.J. Troutman Memorial Fall Fest (Modified Mania Tour, SL, 4C), 7 p.m. 9-19 — D.J. Troutman Memorial Fall Fest (Modified Mania Tour, LMS, PS, CV), 5 p.m. 9-25 — Ninth Annual Bedford Keystone Cup (SLM Twin Features, 305, SL, 4C), 6 p.m. 9-26 — Ninth Annual Bedford Keystone Cup (SLM, PS, CV), 6 p.m. Key: SLM — Super Late Models, LMS — Late Model Sportsman, SL — Semi Lates, PS — Pure Stocks, 4C — Four Cylinders, Mod — Modifieds, CV — Crown Victorias, 305 — Racesaver 305 Sprints)

PITTSBURGH —

There were many reports of downed trees and wires Friday night, as high winds caused damage across western Pennsylvania.

Scroll down for a roundup of damage reports that Pittsburgh's Action News 4 has received.

Please share your photos and videos (if it's safe in your area):

PennDOT said fallen trees forced the closure of the I-376 eastbound ramp to Greensburg Pike (Exit 79A) in Churchill, and the William Penn Highway ramp to westbound I-376 in Churchill.

PennDOT also said Commercial Street was closed between Whipple Street and Summerset Drive while workers secured loose material from the work zone on the new Commercial Street Bridge construction. The Parkway East remained open.

Pittsburgh's Action News 4 photos from Brentwood, Allegheny County, showed a sign against a car outside Advance Auto Parts on Route 51 (Saw Mill Run Boulevard).

Route 30 at Electric Avenue in East Pittsburgh and North Braddock was also closed due to a downed tree.

The roof was blown off a house on McNeilly Avenue in Dormont, Allegheny County. Fire officials said no injuries were reported.

A large tree fell in Allegheny County's North Park, landing across Ingomar Road just past Babcock Boulevard.

In Pittsburgh's Marshall-Shadeland neighborhood, a large tree came crashing down onto a house on Ingham Street. No injuries were reported.

In Shaler Township, Allegheny County, police said a tree fell on Vilsack Road and took down power lines. The road was closed between Mt. Royal Boulevard and Anderson Road until Duquesne Light can respond.

In Mt. Lebanon, police said Washington Road was closed between Ordale and Mt. Lebanon boulevards because of a downed tree and power lines.

In Upper St. Clair, there were several reports of trees down. A photo of a large tree that fell on Hays Road was shared with Pittsburgh's Action News 4.

Multiple poles and wires were blocking Route 40 in South Strabane Township, Washington County, according to a social media post by South Strabane firefighters. The road was closed to traffic between I-79 and the Kopper Kettle restaurant.

In Westmoreland County, many trees were down in the area of Route 56 from Lower Burrell to Hyde Park Plaza.

The National Weather Service issued a high wind warning until midnight. Winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 65 mph are possible.

to stay connected with breaking news. to get breaking news in your inbox.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Department of Environmental Protection, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, and the Pittsburgh Steelers teamed up to encourage Pennsylvanians to “Pick Up PA” ahead of the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh in April. The 2026 Pick Up Pennsylvania litter cleanup initiative is a collaborative effort between PennDOT, and DEP, and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful that gives Pennsylvanians the opportunity to keep their communities clean and free from litter.

“With the eyes of the world pointing at the Commonwealth, we are eternally grateful to our committed volunteers for helping us Pick Up PA,” said PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. “We are all stewards of our environment. I encourage everyone to get involved in Pick Up PA, and, if you own a business, consider sponsoring a roadway in the Commonwealth.”

“One of the key parts of DEP’s mission is partnership, and it is thanks to tremendous partners like Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, PennDOT, Adopt-A-Highway sponsors, and so many others that we are fighting litter in Pennsylvania,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “Thanks to volunteers across the Commonwealth we are ready to keep Pennsylvania and America litter-free for the next 250 years.”

The 2026 Pennsylvania tourism season – including the NFL Draft, PGA Championship, FIFA World Cup, MLB All-Star Series and America250PA – is expected to bring more than 209 million travelers to the Commonwealth with 600,000 fans expected for the Draft in Pittsburgh alone.

Through PennDOT’s Sponsor-A-Highway program, local businesses and organizations can secure agreements with a PennDOT vendor who uses skilled maintenance forces to remove litter on roadways such as interstates and expressways, especially in areas where volunteer litter groups cannot safely pick up litter. Sponsors are recognized with a newly designed roadside acknowledgement sign displaying their business name and logo, and also listed on PennDOT’s website.

In 2025, 81,500 volunteers participated in Pick Up Pennsylvania. Over 4 million pounds of litter and trash were picked up, 6.1 million pounds recycled, and nearly 63,000 trees, flowers and other greens were planted.

A 42-foot fiberglass houseboat left on the North Shore. A submerged steel barge underwater in the Monongahela River. A motorized recreational boat filled with fuel grounded on Sycamore Island where spiny soft shelled turtles swim. These are just a few of the around 25 abandoned and derelict boats on Pittsburgh’s waterways, according to a recent assessment by Three Rivers Waterkeeper.

Abandoned boats can make the rivers risky. Some break free and drift into river traffic along with floating coolers and life jackets. Paint and insulation break down and leach into water. Other boats leak fuel and other fluids. Those docked outside the stadium become public safety hazards for rowdy, curious crowds.

For years, local law enforcement and the Fish and Boat Commission struggled to remove them due to a lengthy legal process, liability risks to the municipality and only slight penalties for the boat owners. But last July, the state of Pennsylvania and cuts down on the time from discovery and disposal. Owners face big fines if they don’t remove the boat and get stuck with the bill for its removal.

Local government, law enforcement, waterways organizations and marine salvage companies have been at work surveying the problem, prioritizing problem boats and sketching out what the removal process looks like at each stage. While they’ve taken out a few boats, finding the money to pay for the costly disposal remains a challenge.

The new law has “real teeth behind it,” according to Michael Hills, president of the Pittsburgh Safe Boating Council. “If you've abandoned your boat, you better be ready for it, because it's gonna cost you. That's the good stuff. The tough part is, a lot of people that have a boat like this, that decide to abandon it are abandoning it because they can't afford to fix it.”

Act 28 lays out how to identify, manage and remove abandoned, at risk and derelict boats for municipalities and law enforcement. There’s a 14-day notice period and then owners have 30 days to remove the boat. If they fail to do so, they face misdemeanor charges of up to $2,500 and are responsible for the restitution charges of removing and disposing of the boat, which can range from $5,000 to $20,000 per boat, according to Hills.

The law also limits the liability municipality and law enforcement agencies previously could’ve faced when removing an abandoned boat, which is “huge,” according to Mark Sweppenhiser, director of boating at the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the agency that oversees this process.

“No one wanted to take action and then find out that they have to buy someone a boat because they damaged a boat,” Sweppenhiser said. “It's very counterintuitive for the municipality to take action if they're gonna be held liable for all the damages that happened to a boat that would've happened otherwise if they didn't take action. So it was kind of a catch-22.”

The Pittsburgh Safe Boating Council put together a committee including marine salvage contractors, the Port of Pittsburgh commission, legal council and local municipalities to identify what the process looks like and who handles each step.

“It's one thing to have a law, it's another thing to pull a boat and deal with it,” Hills said. “Raise the boat, tow the boat, barge the boat away, remove fluids, take it to a site, dismantle, destroy it and landfill it.”

So far, they’ve removed four boats in the Pittsburgh-area, according to Hills.

Getting a boat to shore in many cases requires specialized equipment to resurface the boat and drag it to shore and tow it away. But not every community has those kinds of contracts and resources available, according to Sweppenhiser. And those salvers need to be paid.

“A lot of these places are small municipalities,” Sweppenhiser said. “They have limited funds and, and ability to do these things. A lot of these boats were junk and trashed. They have no value, so it ends up being a burden on the municipality.”

The biggest problem, according to Hills, is recouping the costs of pulling in those abandoned vessels. Hills is trying to raise $50,000 as seed money through grants and donations to set up a fund to pay salvers to pull up a steady stream of abandoned boats in the Pittsburgh area.

Some of the most contentious and visible derelict and abandoned boats sit on the North Shore wall at the confluence of the Three Rivers. Act 28 only applies to vessels on public property, leaving private property owners stranded. But the City of Pittsburgh has entered into an agreement with the Sports and Exhibition Authority to take over North Shore Riverfront Park, making it public property.

“Trust me when I tell you that those boats that are tied there right now will not be there for the [NFL] Draft [in April],” Hills said. “And our goal is to make sure they never come back.”

WESA’s Tom Riese contributed to this story.