Published: May 11, 2008 11:24 pm      

Gusty storm system zaps power in region

A fast moving storm blew through the region Mother’s Day afternoon leaving in its wake a path of downed trees and more than 1,700 customers without power.

One hard hit area was the Route 22 stretch in western Cambria County where the Nanty Glo Fire Department received eight or nine calls in a two- hour time period Sunday afternoon.

While damage was relatively light, a tree fell on a car in the Nanty Glo area, Anthony Warynovich, deputy fire chief said.

“Nobody got hurt, basically it was all trees down and we never lost power,” Warynovich said.

Sustaining winds throughout the afternoon were 20 to 25 mph while peak wind gusts hit 47 miles per hour at the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport.

The worst of the storm was in the Erie and Oil City areas, but systemwide more than 10,000 customers were without power for at least part of the day, according to Denny Platt, Penelec FirstEnergy area manager.

Locally, the worst of the storm missed Somerset County, where 50 customers in the Fridens area lost power, Platt said.

An estimated 1,700 customers lost power in Cambria County, including 1,100 in Conemaugh and Franklin boroughs and the Woodvale area, Platt said.

The Parkhill area had 115 customers impacted by the storm, while 110 customers in the Northern Cambria area had no electricity for at least part of the day.

Most of the problems were caused by poles that snapped when the high winds blew through, he said.

Extra crews were brought in from DuBois, Clearfield and other areas to assist the local workers, Platt said.

He added that most customers should have service restored by midnight.

The storm ushered in cooler weather, at least for today.

Temperatures are not expected to climb above the mid-40s and winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour will make it feel closer to the mid-30s, AccuWeather meteorologist John Dlugoenski said.

Temperatures should climb Tuesday reaching the mid-60s with another nice day Wednesday, followed by rain and showers Wednesday night, Dlugoenski said.