Storm Hits Western PA
Monday, June 3rd, 2002 PropertyThunderstorms, accompanied by torrential rain and high winds caused widespread destruction in and around Pittsburgh Friday night leading Allegheny County manager Bob Webb to declare a state of emergency. According to reports from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the National Weather Service estimated that winds up to 105 mph accompanied the thunderstorms that hit the area on Friday,"killing a woman at Kennywood Park and injuring dozens more, tearing up homes and businesses, and leaving as many as 60,000 customers without electricity." Meteorologists indicated that most of the damage was caused by a weather phenomenon know as a "macroburst," a huge blast of air that causes damage from downward pressure, rather than the twisting dislocations which cause most of the damage from tornadoes.
