Morning Roundup: Heat advisory in Southwestern Pa.; woman shot in East Liberty

Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Tuesday, July 9.

Southwestern Pennsylvania under heat advisory

Much of Southwestern Pennsylvania was placed under a heat advisory by the National Weather Service for Tuesday, from noon until 8 p.m.

The advisory stretches across Beaver, Allegheny, Washington, Greene, Fayette, and part of Westmoreland Counties, and warns of heat index values of up to 104 degrees. It cautions that heat and high humidity can cause illness.

Heat index is a measure that takes both temperature and humidity into account, explained Tim Cermak, meteorologist at Pittsburgh’s National Weather Service office. Without the heat index, high temperatures on Tuesday are expected to be between 92 and 96 degrees, he said.

Not every area will reach the high heat index of 104 degrees. Low elevations, like river valleys, as well as urban areas will likely see the most heat, he said.

People should drink plenty of water, stay in air conditioning if possible, avoid the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors, the alert advises.

“Today’s the hottest day of the week, most likely. Tomorrow, it will be hot as well, but it will be a few degrees cooler,” Cermak said. “Tomorrow will be the last day with this bad heat. By Thursday, we’re back down in the 80’s.”

“It’s July, it is not uncommon to have little bursts of heat like this,” added Ashley Dougherty, WTAE meteorologist. “We will get a little relief on Thursday.”

Weather Outlook thru Wed:
???? - Heat indices approach 100°F for most of the area each day. Visit https://t.co/nR4yhzDSj7 for latest heat advisories.
⛈️ - Low probability storms late this afternoon for E OH & Wed for W PA. If storms can form, damaging wind & tornado risks exist. pic.twitter.com/sHjd80PZo7

— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) July 9, 2024

Woman arrested, man sought by police after crash in stolen SUV

A man is sought by police after crashing a stolen SUV into several cars, including a Pittsburgh EMS vehicle, in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighborhood.

A woman who was a passenger in the vehicle was arrested after the incident, but the driver fled, police said.

Police were trying to pull over the stolen white SUV around 5:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon near the intersection of West Warrington Avenue and Saw Mill Run Boulevard. The driver tried to flee in the stolen SUV, but crashed almost immediately, police said.

The driver hit a white sedan, a black SUV, and a Pittsburgh EMS vehicle. The EMS vehicle was minimally damaged, and the two other vehicles were towed from the scene. No one was injured.

Woman shot in East Liberty

A woman was shot three times in the leg in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood late Monday night, Pittsburgh police said.

Police found the woman in the 6200 block of Broad Street around 10 p.m. Monday night. They were alerted to the scene by ShotSpotter and several calls reporting that shots were fired.

The woman was conscious, alert, and able to talk to police and medics. She was taken to a hospital in stable condition by Pittsburgh EMS.

The Mobile Crime Unit found shell casings at the scene. The investigation is ongoing.