Deadly weather kills 2 in Pennsylvania; thousands still without power

A severe weather outbreak that covered a large stretch of the country from Texas to the Northeast turned deadly in Pennsylvania, where at least two people were killed in storm-related electrocutions and nearly 250,000 customers were still without power on April 30.

The storm system on April 29 brought tornado-strength winds to the region, forecasters said. Photos shared on social media by the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh showed trees down on power lines and houses.

Pittsburgh Public Safety said an unidentified male was pronounced dead after being electrocuted by live wires during the storm. In State College over 100 miles away, police said a 22-year-old man also died after coming in contact with an electric current in the storm while trying to put out a mulch fire.

In some areas, winds gusted 80 to 90 mph, stronger than some of the typical EF-0 and EF-1 tornadoes seen there and across a much wider area, forecasters said. A 69-mph wind gust was recorded at the Allegheny County Airport.

At least three tornadoes were spotted in Oklahoma and Missouri on April 29, uprooting trees and damaging outbuildings in Tulsa, according to preliminary reports by the weather service. Up to 5-inch-wide hail was seen in parts of Texas. Strong winds also toppled trees or caused property damage in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio and New York.

School districts across western Pennsylvania were closed or started with a delay on April 30 after damage and power outages from the storm the day before, ABC News affiliate WTAE reported.

Pittsburgh hit with widespread power outages

Nearly 250,000 customers remain without power across Pennsylvania Wednesday morning. As of Wednesday morning, there are over 200,000 households and businesses without power in Allegheny County, which encompasses Pittsburgh, according to USA TODAY's power outage tracker.

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Duquesne Light Company said the night of April 29 the widespread outages were centered in Allegheny and Beaver counties after the "unprecedented" severe weather.

"With high gusts nearing 80 mph causing significant damage across the region, today’s storm is unprecedented in DLC’s history. These heavy winds knocked down trees, broke utility poles and caused more than 20,000 separate reports of hazards so far," the company said.

Duquesne Light Company, West Penn Power working to restore power

Duquesne Light Company said it was working "as quickly and safely as possible to assess damage and restore service" to the more than 240,000 customers in Allegheny and Beaver counties after the "extraordinary storm" passed through its service territory.

DLC urged residents to stay away from downed wires, broken poles and other safety hazards, and to report downed wires or other hazardous situations to its emergency number at 888-393-7000.

"The severity of the weather and extensive nature of damage will likely delay assessments and estimated restoration times," the company said.

West Penn Power, an energy utility that serves 720,000 customers across Pennsylvania, said the night of April 29 the storms caused "widespread tree and equipment damage" to its service territory and knocked out power to approximately 190,000 of its customers.

"Our crews are 100% committed to getting all customers back up and running as quickly and safely as possible," the utility said on X.