A tornado watch issued for most of the Pittsburgh area expired Thursday night.
The watch was in effect for Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Lawrence, Mercer, Washington and Westmoreland counties until 11 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. It also included other parts of Pennsylvania, as well as counties in Ohio and West Virginia.
A flash flood warning remains in place for central Allegheny County until 12:45 a.m. on Friday. A tornado warning was issued for parts of Mercer and Lawrence counties, as well as parts of Ohio, but expired early Thursday evening.
Pittsburgh weather forecast
Severe storms are heading toward the Pittsburgh area and are expected to hit later Thursday evening. The main threats will be damaging wind, large hail and flooding, though some ingredients may try to lead to rotation.
Throughout the day, several areas have seen their temperatures lift well into the 70s, providing some good daytime heating for storms to work with later on.
Right now, most of the area is at risk for scattered severe thunderstorms, which is a level 2 out of 5. The level 3 out of 5, or the area with numerous severe thunderstorms, is literally knocking on the door. This means the best ingredients appear to be lined up just to Pittsburgh’s west, but we need to pay close attention to any activity that approaches the state line.
What’s the timing of storms in Pittsburgh?
Storms arrive in the northern counties around 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. These will progress southward toward Pittsburgh by 10 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. From there, the storms will push southward.
(Photo: KDKA Weather Center)
Flooding remains possible
Overnight, areas of heavy rain are still possible. With the amount of rain we are seeing, flash flooding is not out of the question. As the water drains from the ground, creeks and streams into bigger waterways, we could see some rises of the river at the Point. Right now, it looks like the Ohio River at the Point could crest around 18 feet, which would put water on the Mon Wharf.
