Powerful weekend wind storms cause heavy damage, power outages around Beaver County

After dangerously windy weather over the weekend, many Beaver County residents are still attempting to recover from the springtime storm.

The powerful gusts of winds that plagued the region Saturday afternoon caused some significant damage to local communities, causing debris to block many local roadways and leave hundreds of residents without power. Reports from the National Weather Service of Pittsburgh indicate that storms were dangerous for much of western Pennsylvania, with wind speeds exceeding 50 miles per hour in many parts of Beaver County.

Throughout the region, heavy tree branches caused a variety of issues for motorists traveling the county's roadways. Many of these roads remained closed to traffic or required travelers to avoid large debris blocking one lane of traffic Monday morning.

Hundreds of Beaver County's residents were also left without power during the storms, with crews from Duquesne Light continuing their work to restore power in Beaver County on Monday evening. According to the company, approximately 3,600 customers remained without power during the day and some local communities may not regain their electricity until Tuesday evening.

"Due to the extensive and widespread damage, the estimated time of restoration for most of our remaining customers is 8 p.m. tonight, March 27, although many should be restored sooner," the company said in a press release on Monday evening. "Communities that were especially hard hit, including Economy, Ambridge and Harmony, are expected to be fully restored by 10 p.m. tomorrow, March 28."

For residents' safety, they are advised to avoid areas where there are downed powerlines until Duquesne Light crews arrive.

Some businesses also saw damage to their facilities in the storm. In Rochester, the front window of the abandoned Country Cupboard was blown out and the large sheet of glass shattered across the sidewalk of Main Street. Photos from the building show that the winds had been powerful enough to start warping the metal, which caused the glass to fall.

Down the river, pieces from the Ambridge Lumber Company building were picked up by the powerful winds and sent the debris flying into their storage shed. Officials report nobody was hurt by the flying debris, as local first responders worked quickly to secure the area. The company also shared its thanks via social media, especially given the outpouring of community support from neighbors following the incident.

Several local school districts were also forced to cancel classes, as buses were unable to reach some students while the recovery took place along community roads. On Monday morning, students from the Ambridge Area, Beaver Area and Freedom Area districts were kept home for these transportation issues and power outages.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Powerful weekend storm causes damage, power outages in Beaver County