Tropical Storm Ida causes flooding across the Pittsburgh region, flood watch in effect

Photo: Courtesy of Pittsburgh CitiParks

Flooding in Pittsburgh city parks

After making landfall in Louisiana as Hurricane Ida on Aug. 29, the effects of the now tropical storm has reached the Pittsburgh region, and though much weaker than before, is still causing major flooding in several Pittsburgh-area communities.

Rainfall started on Aug. 31 and continued through the night, and is still drenching many locations in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Between 8 a.m. on Aug. 31 and noon on Sept. 1, about 2.25 inches of rain fell, according to the National Weather Service office in Moon Township.

A flood advisory is currently in effect in much of Allegheny County. Westmoreland County and the Mon Valley sections of Allegheny and Washington Counties are currently experiencing flash flood warnings. According to the National Weather Service, most rain is supposed to subside Sept. 1 by the early afternoon.

Evacuations have been called in some areas, and power outages are scattered across Allegheny County. In Bridgeville, which has been hit particularly hard by flooding, the Bethany Church and the fire department are open for shelter.

Here are some of the more dire images of flooding from across the Pittsburgh region:

Route 50 in Scott Township was experiencing major flooding, which stranded some vehicles, according to photos from WPXI's Tony Ruffolo.

#WPXIStorm - Rt50/Washington Ave close due to #flooding at Boden in Scott Twp. #WPXI #PGH #PITTSBURGH @WPXITraffic @WPXIScott pic.twitter.com/qfYJ4r2htn
— Tony Ruffolo (@WPXITonyRuffolo) September 1, 2021

Water was bubbling up from a utility hole in Upper St. Clair, and a small landslide fell onto McMillan Road.

Upper Saint Clair manhole video #ida @RayPetelinWx @WPXIScott @AdamDWeather @weatherchannel @NWSPittsburgh pic.twitter.com/mCE3y0lIxV
— Tyler Tomasino (@TylerTomasino) September 1, 2021

Crews in Shaler had to perform water rescues to evacuate 41 passengers from a school bus stuck in rapidly rising water.

Crews have been spending the morning performing water rescues. 260 boat rescued 41 passengers from the school bus and 10 more from homes that took on water rapidly. pic.twitter.com/ZDsfipEKAg
— Cherry City Fire (@CherryCityFire) September 1, 2021

Flooding occurred on Nine Mile Run in Frick Park in the city of Pittsburgh, and parts of Highland Park also saw serious flooding.

Heavy rain & flooding have also reached #Pittsburgh's parks with significant flooding at Frick Park's Nine Mile Run with roads blocked & trees down in Highland Park as well.

Please keep away from ANY flooded area. Report fallen trees to @Pgh311 for @PGHDPW to address. pic.twitter.com/LLyxcpOJZC
— CitiParks - Pittsburgh Parks & Recreation (@Citiparks) September 1, 2021

Pine Creek in Etna rose so high due to rain and runoff that it started to push against a rail bridge that sits over the top of it, as shown in video from KDKA-TV.

HIGH WATER: The remnants of Hurricane Ida has caused the water in Little Pine Creek in Etna to rise.

THE LATEST ON THE RAIN: https://t.co/S2xmN5To0s pic.twitter.com/B94bIvrQRz
— KDKA (@KDKA) September 1, 2021

The Mon Wharf is Downtown Pittsburgh is closed on Sept. 1, and TribLive reporter JoAnne Harrop captured a panoramic view of the water creeping its way up to the parking lot.

Water creeping onto the Mon Wharf… it’s closed today… #Ida pic.twitter.com/06Hik2nKUj
— JoAnne Harrop (@joannescoop) September 1, 2021

Bridgeville borough saw rising water along flood-prone McLaughlin Run, where excessive rain easily filled the creek. Evacuations for some homes in Bridgeville were made. Photos below are from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer Andrew Rush.