Duquesne Light reports more than 2,400 outages Friday morning

Duquesne Light said more than 2,400 customers were still without power around 6:30 a.m. Friday after a severe storm swept through the region Thursday afternoon. Crews had restored service to about 33,000 customers by Friday morning after more than 40,000 lost power at the storm’s peak.

The utility said its crews had responded to the outages and were assessing damage to determine restoration priorities and estimated times of service restoration. It was also monitoring conditions closely and preparing for the potential for additional severe weather on Friday.

Allegheny and Beaver counties

More than 1,700 of the remaining Duquesne Light outages were in Allegheny County, and 678 were in Beaver County. The storm brought down trees, utility poles and power lines across the area, and high wind gusts exceeding 50 mph were part of the damage that left close to 4,000 customers without power Friday morning.

Wind gusts up to 53 mph were recorded at Pittsburgh International Airport. West Penn Power also reported outages Friday morning, with 1,379 customers without power in Westmoreland County, about 940 in Armstrong County, about 350 in Butler County, about 580 in Indiana County and about 350 in Washington County.

Friday weather outlook

National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Brudy said Friday weather models showed a lower likelihood that storms would impact the Pittsburgh area, though storms might hit the ridges along the Laurel Highlands. National Weather Service meteorologist Colton Milcarek was identified as part of the weather coverage tied to the storm system.

For customers still waiting on service, the practical issue Friday morning was not the size of the first outage wave but how long the last miles of repair would take. Duquesne Light had already brought back most affected homes and businesses, but thousands were still waiting on crews to clear damage and restore lines.