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Strong Storms Pack High Winds, Heavy Rains & Cause Damage, Power Outages

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Strong storms with destructive winds and heavy rain rolled through the Pittsburgh region this evening.

The federal Storm Prediction Center placed the area under a slight risk for severe storms, giving us a 15 percent chance of seeing strong winds of over 58 mph.

They also gave western Pennsylvania a 2 percent chance (30-mile radius) of seeing a tornado with the passage of the front.

The National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Allegheny and Westmoreland counties through 6:15 p.m., which has since expired. Other parts of the area were also under watches and warnings.

According to KDKA-TV Chief Meteorologist Jeff Verszyla, the storms brought rain and high winds.

"Scattered showers and a thunderstorm or two through early evening," Verszyla said. "I think between now and about 7 or 7:30 will be our prime period. The main threat, briefly heavy downpours, so there could be a little of ponding of water on roadways; otherwise, the secondary threat could be for some briefly gusty winds."

The storm caused a power outage on the T system, Port Authority officials said. However, they say the system was up and running as the outage was "not associated with the rail cars."

The storms also knocked out power to about 9,000 customers, according to Duquesne Light. Central and Eastern areas are the hardest hit.

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(Photo Credit: KDKA)

The good news is, the storms are bringing in some cooler temperatures.

Highs on Tuesday will reach the mid- to upper-80s. On Wednesday, we may fail to hit 80 degrees altogether. So far this month, highs have hit the 80s every day.

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