Published: October 07, 2009 02:55 pm      

High winds hammer region

CUMBERLAND — Persistent gusting winds of up to 50 mph downed tree limbs and power lines Wednesday, disrupting electrical service for hundreds of Allegheny Power customers throughout the tri-state area.

“We’ve had 10 to 15 calls of trees down and lines down. We also had two moving vehicles struck by trees in Barton and Westernport. The occupants weren’t injured but both vehicles had to be towed,” said Allegany County 911 dispatcher Bill Lamberson.

By 1 p.m., outages were reported in Allegany and Garrett counties where 150 customers were without service in each county. The Garrett County 911 center “handled four or five” reports of trees down in roadways Wednesday morning but no reports in the afternoon. County roads workers and volunteer firefighters were dispatched to the calls.

In nearby West Virginia, 56 customers were without electricity in the Augusta and Romney areas of Hampshire County along with 16 customers in Grant and Morgan counties.

Various outages were also reported in Bedford County, including more than 600 customers at Everett and 179 at Breezewood and several customers in the Hyndman and Bedford areas. Thirty-two customers were out of service in the Confluence area of Somerset County.

Utility crews worked throughout the day to restore service to the affected areas as quickly as possible.

Emergency centers throughout the tri-state area fielded numerous wind-related calls during the day, including reports of downed trees lying across roadways and overhead utility lines on the ground at various locations.

By early afternoon, Cumberland Police had responded to a report of a sign that fell off a building onto a vehicle on Greene Street at Johnson Street and a report of flying debris that damaged a parked vehicle in the area of John Humbird School.

“We’ve had numerous weather-related calls but all of an apparent minor nature. No injuries have been reported,” said Cumberland Police Capt. Kevin Ogle.

Officers also responded to a complaint of a pole that fell in the Roses parking lot at Queen City Drive and reports of lines down on Ridge Terrace, Somerville Avenue and Frederick Street and a tree branch lying in the roadway of eastbound Interstate 68 in the city.

In another report, a tree reportedly fell into a house on Mockingbird Drive in Carpendale, W.Va., at about 1:30 p.m. “Apparently a big part of a tree limb came down on an abandoned house,” said a Mineral County 911 dispatcher.

AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Edwards said the peak wind at the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport was measured at 49 mph between 7 and 8 a.m.

“There have been sustained winds in Cumberland averaging 15 to 20 miles per hour, but frequent gusts over 30 mph and into the 40s,” he said at the AccuWeather headquarters in State College, Pa.

A cold front pushing through the region and high pressure behind it created the gusting winds that Edwards said would taper off toward Wednesday evening “as the cold front moves east and the high pressure begins to settle in the region.”

Edwards said Thursday will bring “sunshine mixed with clouds” to Allegany County coupled with temperatures in the mid-60s. Dry conditions are expected to continue into Friday, when showers are expected later in the day and into the night. Clearing conditions are expected by Saturday afternoon along with cooler temperatures.

Contact Jeffrey Alderton at jlalderton@times-news.com.