Thunderstorm Wind — Westmoreland, Pennsylvania

2002-05-12 · near Countywide, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania

Event narrative

A thunderstorm microburst passed across Westmoreland County, leaving a path of damage along its entire route. The greatest amount of damage occurred in the Irwin and North Huntington areas. However, damage also occurred in Jeanette, Greensburg, Latrobe and Derry. Just a few miles west of Greensburg in the Hempfield Township area, a man was killed when a tree was uprooted and fell on the car he was riding in. The driver and another passenger in the care were also injured. The width of the microburst appeared to be the widest through the Irwin area where it reached close to 700 yards. Hundreds of trees were either uprooted or snapped. Many utility poles and wires were also knocked down or snapped. There was damage to several roofs, porches and decks. One roof over the back porch of a house was lifted up and over the house and deposited in the front yard. there were many houses that lost shingles, siding and awnings. Maximum winds were estimated to be around 75 MPH.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.3833, -79.4500)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5299079. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.