An Asplundh Tree Expert crew removes a tree from a power pole in Ohio on April 29. Photo:
ANDREW DOLPH/TIMES-REPORTER / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Three people have been reported dead in Pennsylvania amid severe weather in the Midwest and Northeast regions of the United States.
Two people have been confirmed dead in Allegheny County, while another was reported dead in State College, according to media releases from the Allegheny County Emergency Services (ACES) and State College Police Department.
All three deaths, reported on Tuesday, April 29, are said to be related to the storm.
“Allegheny County Medical Examiner has confirmed with our EOC [Emergency Operations Center] of two storm related deaths at this point,” the ACES said.
The Pittsburgh Public Safety Department said one of the two deaths happened when a Pittsburgh man was electrocuted by live wires, per Accuweather. The man was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency crews.
The third death occurred in State College, roughly three miles outside of the Penn State University campus and over 130 miles from Pittsburgh. Local police responded to the scene around 7:17 p.m. local time after being notified of an individual “who had been electrocuted near a utility pole in the 1500 block of University Drive.”
A downed tree in Springfield, Ohio after storms on April 29, 2025. Nathan Papes / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
There, they found a 22-year-old male who “encountered an active electric current while trying to put out a mulch fire,” the police said. The man was pronounced dead 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,” the police said, per the release. “Public works crews are working to remove debris, and First Energy is working to restore power to the many customers [affected] by the mass outages in the Centre Region.”
“Please do not approach downed lines or areas where lines may be compromised,” they added.
PEOPLE reached out to the Allegheny County Emergency Services, Pittsburgh Public Safety Office and the State College Police Department for additional information, but did not immediately hear back.
Accuweather reported that the series of severe storms evolved into a derecho on Tuesday, with Ohio and Pennsylvania seeing wind gusts up to 80 miles per hour.
According to the National Weather Service, a derecho is “a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.” Derechos can produce damage similar to tornadoes.
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Following the storms on Tuesday, Allegheny County Emergency Services said in the press release that the National Call Center received over 5,000 calls per hour from within the region. “This call volume overwhelmed not only 9-1-1 call takers, but our regional phone carriers and systems,” they continued.
ACES EMA and Pittsburgh EMA have started assessing damage from municipalities.
The emergency services agency has cautioned locals to “stay off area roads as many downed wires, trees and poles still exist.”
According to Accuweather, Oklahoma also saw flash flooding due to the storms with about three to six inches of rain. As a result, a portion of Interstate 44 was shut down in Oklahoma City, per a post on X from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
CNN reported that Oklahoma has “picked up nearly a foot of rain since the start of the month, marking it as the wettest April on record.”
Severe storms are said to continue through Wednesday, April 30, also affecting Texas, Missouri and Kentucky, according to Accuweather.
