
Nearly 450,000 US customers without power after severe storm
April 30 (Reuters) - Nearly 450,000 customers in Pennsylvania were without power early on Wednesday, data from PowerOutage.us showed, a day after a storm system brought on severe weather to the central United States.
Duquesne Light Company said late Tuesday it was working to restore power to more than 240,000 customers who were experiencing power outages in Allegheny and Beaver counties after the storm.
The Reuters Power Up newsletter provides everything you need to know about the global energy industry. Sign up here.
High wind gusts nearing 80 miles (128.75 km) per hour knocked down trees, broke utility poles and caused more than 20,000 separate reports of hazards so far, the utility said.
FirstEnergy also reported nearly 200,000 customers affected across Pennsylvania, including areas such as Allegheny, Armstrong, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
12 hours ago
- Reuters
Crop Watch: Corn improves again but soybeans still iffy: Braun
NAPERVILLE, Illinois, June 9 (Reuters) - Health conditions across the U.S. Crop Watch corn and soybean fields began this season at multi-year lows. Recent weather has lent a bump to the corn ratings, though soybean scores remain just so-so overall. However, one of the Illinois Crop Watch soybean fields might qualify as the ugliest the producer has ever seen, placing extra emphasis on the near-term weather outlook. The week ahead could feature an opportunity for improvement to both corn and soybeans, though the temperature outlook may present some limitations. Temperatures across the U.S. Corn Belt last week were mostly below-average and all locations except the Dakotas received at least 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) of rain. The 11-field, average Crop Watch corn condition rose to 3.8 from 3.68 in the prior week. That is above the same week a year ago but below the comparable weeks in the previous three years. However, the 0.23-point increase over the last two weeks is well above a normal two-week delta for Crop Watch corn ratings. Improvement in the latest week was driven by Kansas and the Dakotas. The 11 Crop Watch producers assign weekly condition scores to their corn and soybean fields using a scale of 1 to 5. The ratings are similar to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's system where 1 is very poor, 3 is average and 5 is excellent. Only eight soybean fields were available for conditions last week, averaging 3.56. This week's average of the same eight fields drops to 3.5 on a reduction in southeastern Illinois, which is one of the nation's top soybean-producing regions. That field received over 3 inches of rain last week, piling on to the ample totals from previous weeks. The field conditions stand at 1.5 and the producer describes the situation as follows: 'Cannot stress enough how wet it is, the ground looks slimed.' Excess moisture is also plaguing crops in Ohio. The Crop Watch beans there were planted last Wednesday, though the field has taken 6 inches of rain since, and the plants have not yet emerged. This week, the 10-field average soybean condition score, sans Ohio, stands at 3.4. Aside from troubles in southeastern Illinois and Ohio, Crop Watch beans are looking super-strong in Indiana and western Iowa, and solid in both Kansas and eastern Iowa. Nearly all the Crop Watch producers expressed a desire for some drier conditions in the days ahead, though the forecast as of Monday was mixed on those prospects. They also noted the need for some warmth and sunshine, which is in the forecast for most areas for at least a couple of days this week. Crop Watch producers assessed that the week-ahead weather outlook was more positive than negative. But for some areas, particularly in the northwest Corn Belt, upcoming temperatures may still be a bit too cool. Producers will be watching for how the ongoing Canadian wildfire smoke might impact crop growth, as the particles can block much-needed solar radiation and potentially lead to cooler-than-expected temperatures. Karen Braun is a market analyst for Reuters. Views expressed above are her own. Enjoying this column? Check out Reuters Open Interest (ROI), opens new tab, your essential new source for global financial commentary. ROI delivers thought-provoking, data-driven analysis of everything from swap rates to soybeans. Markets are moving faster than ever. ROI, opens new tab can help you keep up. Follow ROI on LinkedIn, opens new tab and X., opens new tab


Reuters
4 days ago
- Reuters
Breaking International News & Views
Item 1 of 5 A drone view shows the early stages of the rewetting process at Ballaghurt Bog, near Clongawny, Ireland, April 16, 2024. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne [1/5] A drone view shows the early stages of the rewetting process at Ballaghurt Bog, near Clongawny, Ireland, April 16, 2024. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne


Reuters
6 days ago
- Reuters
Earthquake of magnitude 5.7 strikes Seram, Indonesia, GFZ says
June 4 (Reuters) - A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Seram, Indonesia on Wednesday, the German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) said. The quake was at a depth of 10 km (6.21 miles), GFZ said.