Microburst In Crafton Heights And West End Takes Down Trees & Power Lines

WEST END (KDKA) -- A powerful storm left its mark on several West End neighborhoods overnight and the National Weather Service has classified it as a microburst.

High winds lifted a tree off the ground and laid it on the roof of an apartment in Crafton Heights.

Christopher Flint was home when the winds pounded his apartment.

"They were so strong, my children were even crying, to where I thought it was going to blow through, the hail got so bad," he said. "The wind was so bad I literally was holding the plywood up so we didn't have a big hole from the air conditioner blowing out."

Jim Grabowski took cell phone pictures of utility wires burning near his home by Crafton Boulevard.

He isn't sure if lightning or a downed tree started the fire.

"My neighbors down there tell me there's a fire, so I go down to look and all the wires across the whole street are on fire, there's a tree down on top of it, quite something," he said.

Jim Potanko says his electricity was off for nearly 16 hours while Duquesne Light crews were repairing power lines along Arnold Street.

Potanko said he'll never forget the strong winds and torrential rain that seemed to last all night.

"It was terrible, the porch was full of debris and the driveway as well," he said. "It was like, foggy."