Severe storms rolled through Pennsylvania on Tuesday evening, killing at least four people, knocking down trees and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
A 22-year-old man in State College was electrocuted near a utility pole while he was trying to put out a mulch fire, police said. The man encountered an active electric current and died at the scene.
"This tragic incident occurred during a severe weather event hitting the State College area, resulting in damage to many trees and utility lines," police said in a news release.
The man's identity is being withheld until his relatives can be notified, police said.
In Allegheny County, two people were killed. Police said Raymond Gordon, 67, was working outside in Ross Township and was walking back into his home when a tree fell and hit him. Live wires electrocuted another unidentified man.
Andrew Celaschi, 25, was also killed when a tree struck his car as he was driving in Franklin Township, state police said.
Wind gusts were over 80 mph to 90 mph during the storm, the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said. Photos posted on social media showed uprooted trees and downed power lines.
A team was out in Wilkinsburg in Allegheny County to survey "potential tornado damage," the National Weather Service said on X.
Across central and western Pennsylvania, nearly 430,000 customers remained without power early Wednesday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us. A majority of the outages were in Allegheny County, where almost 231,000 customers continued to be without power.
Duquesne Light Co. said that the storm damage was "unprecedented" and that a complete assessment may not be available until Thursday morning. Vice President of Operations John Hilderbrand II said at a news conference Wednesday that Duquesne expects five to seven days of restoration time.
"We understand how difficult and frustrating it is to be without power, especially for an extended period of time," the company said on X. "This is an 'all hands on deck' effort for the company, and we will continue to work around the clock until everyone is restored."
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said it will take time for power to be fully restored and for roads to be cleared.
"We're just asking the people of our city to just bear with us for a little bit," he said at Wednesday's news conference. "I know it's an inconvenience, we acknowledge that, but we also acknowledge that safety is paramount."
Pittsburgh Public Schools were closed Wednesday because of the widespread power outages. The borough of Forest Hills in Allegheny County declared a state of emergency after the storm toppled trees, downed power lines and left hazardous debris.
Severe weather also struck Missouri on Tuesday. The city of Springfield reported that there were no known deaths or injuries in Springfield or Greene County.
"We are still currently assessing damage — most of which is trees and debris blocking roadways," Cora Scott, the director of public information and civic engagement, said in a statement.
