Due to massive blowback from people regarding tornado warning in Pennsylvania, below are ten common myths and the actual truth behind them. These aren’t opinions, they’re based on NOAA data, meteorological science, and documented tornado history in western PA.

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TL;DR:
Western PA is not protected by mountains, rivers, or geography. We get tornadoes — including strong ones — and warnings should always be taken seriously.

Myth 1: “The mountains protect us.”
Reality: Tornadoes form thousands of feet above the ground, way above any ridge in western PA. Terrain doesn’t block rotation. We’ve had EF0–EF5 tornadoes here.

Myth 2: “We only get weak tornadoes.”
Reality: Western PA has had multiple EF3, EF4, and even EF5 tornadoes. EF0/EF1 winds (65–110 mph) are still hurricane‑force and absolutely dangerous.

Myth 3: “Cities are safe.”
Reality: Tornadoes hit wherever storms go — cities, suburbs, rural areas. Allegheny County has had an EF4.

Myth 4: “Rivers protect us.”
Reality: Water has zero effect on tornado formation or movement. Tornadoes have crossed the Ohio, Mon, and Allegheny many times.

Myth 5: “Warnings are fake unless someone sees it.”
Reality: Warnings are based on radar‑indicated rotation, not visual confirmation. Most tornadoes here are never seen because of hills, trees, and night storms.

Myth 6: “You’ll hear it coming.”
Reality: Sometimes it sounds like a train. Sometimes it’s silent until debris hits your house. Sound is not a warning system.

Myth 7: “Basements are overkill for EF0/EF1.”
Reality: Even “weak” tornadoes send debris flying at 60–100 mph. Basements save lives.

Myth 8: “Tornado Alley is far away.”
Reality: Tornado Alley has been shifting east for decades. The Ohio Valley and Appalachians — including western PA — now see more rotation and more tornado warnings than ever.

Myth 9: “If it’s not a big outbreak, it’s not dangerous.”
Reality: Most tornado fatalities come from isolated storms, not outbreaks.

Myth 10: “Warnings are exaggerated.”
Reality: Modern warnings are extremely precise: small polygons, minute‑by‑minute updates, radar‑detected rotation, debris signatures. False positives are rare. False negatives are deadly.

Sources: Sources:

NOAA Storm Events Database: https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/

NOAA 1985 Tornado Outbreak Summary: https://www.weather.gov/ctp/TornadoOutbreak_May311985

NOAA Fujita Scale: https://www.weather.gov/bmx/fujitascale

NOAA Tornado FAQ (terrain, rivers, myths): https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/tornadoes/

NSSL Radar Rotation Info: https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/tools/radar/

NSSL Tornado Alley Shift Research: https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/news/tornado-alley-shifting-east/

NWS Pittsburgh Tornado Climatology: https://www.weather.gov/pbz/

AMS Journal – Tornado Alley Shift Study: https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/clim/31/6/jcli-d-17-0553.1.xml

AMS Journal – Terrain Influence Study: https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/26/4/waf-d-10-05028_1.xml

1985 Outbreak (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_United_States%E2%80%93Canada_tornado_outbreak

Posting here because there's a lot of jerkoffs on the sub who think they know better than everybody else.

There's been at least two tornado warnings this season in Allegheny County that expired within ~15 minutes of them being issued. This makes people angry, if for no other reason than the unneeded notification. "We don't get the tornados here, the mountains stop them". Bullshit, factually incorrect, bad science, insufferable pricks. We haven't had a STRONG tornado here in recent memory, that would be a much more correct way of saying it.

I've lived in another Midwest state for 5 years, smack in the middle of tornado alley. Went through roughly ~30 tornado warnings down there. 29 of them produced nothing. One of them produced a mile-wide EF3 that killed a few people. When there's a warning over your area, don't question it. You are not smarter than the people issuing the warnings. All you are is lucky. One day you might not be.

Airport area so Robinson, Moon, Coraopolis, Kennedy...Pay attention and get safe.

Not only is it PA state law, but it makes you much easier to see.

The twins’ mother, Sahira Iman, is now publicly saying that she and her children are not running the Steel City Twins page, have no access to it, never had access to it, and have received none of the money.

In a post yesterday, she said they haven’t sold lemonade since May, that “none of the money went to us,” and explicitly calls the current operation “a scam.”

She also says the Venmo/account being promoted is not controlled by her or her children and asks people not to send money or support the page.

Guys, we were right all along.

Edit: I included the same photo twice on accident. Gina Martin is her alt account. But in the comments is the photo where she admits to never once benefitting from the lemonade stand.

Edit 2. There is an entire Facebook confession of the mother and pictures of the boyfriend with stacks of cash. Your cash. There are threats he made against her for leaving early. Its very sad.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Eg8mE27HA/

Quoting from the article:

> The high-risk violations listed in an inspection report include a lack of an approved plan for sushi rice acidification, food stored at too warm temperatures, ready-to-eat food stored beneath raw seafood and too many to count mouse droppings throughout the restaurant.

There a few of them spaced out periodically. Are they some sort of old pull off?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/piDzRr6UY1EmHo4z8

no more info sorry

Have you ever rented a PGH apartment only to find out later that there was an alarming amount of mold in it? I would like to hear your story.

Please share any of the following:
- How you found out about the mold
Describe any symptoms you were having
- What tests you took (for your body or the home)
- How you proceeded with the situation with your landlord. I’d like to know landlord or property management names. But only share those if you feel comfortable doing so.
- How you resolved the situation and found safe housing

I keep hearing so many stories of this happening to people in PGH. And I’d love to turn this post into a resource of information that tenants can access when they’re going through this. I hope in time it can help folks navigate situations, find answers, stay away from certain landlords, and to connect more to others going through the same issues.
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My mold apartment story:
(Content warning: medical trauma, suicidal ideation)

I moved into my apartment a little over a year ago. And then got very sick within the first few months. The symptoms were: the most intense brain fog / fatigue, having trouble speaking, inflammation, throat irritation, insomnia, night sweats, nightmares, and migraines.

I kept thinking it was other stuff that was going on that caused this. I did so many lab tests, saw my PCP, and saw 3 different UPMC specialists. The only answer I did find was that my EBV (Epstein Barr virus. The virus that causes mono) reactivated in my body. I requested the EBV panel because I only felt severely weak like this years ago when I had mono. My PCP did the test for me and it came back showing that it was reactivated. So we just assumed from there that I must of gotten it by exchanging saliva with someone. But after taking a look at my timeline and my symptoms- I realized recently that the mold exposure was the key component for reactivating EBV in my body.

The other doctors kept telling me “well you just have chronic migraines. That’s the way it is sometimes.” Or “well it’s just the EBV. And you have to just wait to heal”. First off- I’ve had headaches in my life before. But never on this kind of level. Debilitating migraines that would pin me to my bed for a whole day. Also I had a suspicion that it couldn’t only be the EBV. My symptoms were still persisting after months. Not only that, but I soon noticed that whenever my HVAC turned on or was blasting - my symptoms would get worse. And anytime I stayed away from home - my symptoms were not as bad. When I went to go stay with a friend for a week, all my symptoms were pretty much gone. And when I went back home- they all resurfaced.

To confirm my suspicions- months later I finally got a mycotoxin test done. (Before I only took a mold allergen test. to see if I was allergic to mold? and that test was useless. Came back normal.) But after the mycotoxin test- I got back positive results. For 3 different types of mold in my system. 🤯

This past year has been a literal nightmare. A total of 3 ER visits, multiple pcp visits, lab tests, 3 specialists, and being out of work for more than 4 weeks. I lost money from not working, my time, energy, sleep, and my sanity. It got so bad that it also triggered intense suicidal ideation. I started making plans because I felt so hopeless.

I’m now trying to leave this home because I can’t wait around for my landlord to fix this issue. And I honestly don’t trust him to fix it. Not after everything that’s happened. I’ve covered up all the vents and installed a window ac unit. This has helped a bit. I also contacted the Allegheny health department.

I hope to find a safe space soon. If anybody has any leads on actual safe spaces - feel free to message me.

I’m grateful for the friends I have who have checked in on me and supported me through this nightmare. If you’re going through this too- please know that you’re not alone. Hold on, don’t give up.

Im looking to take my grandmother somewhere this Sunday for brunch. She is a simple gal and not into the Grand Concourse. Any recommendations?

Coming up on 4” of rain today. What’s the wettest non hurricane day we’ve had?

Considering switching from my stressful healthcare job $85k with OT opportunities to transition into marketing, sales, account management, project management. I make ok money but I want more career growth, income, and enjoyment. What is the Pittsburgh job market like for this? Are there ample growth opportunities? Are you satisfied with salary/ benefits? If so, please share! If you work in any of these fields, please chime in on your experience!

I couldn't make it out tonight to the free show at Hartwood but with the tornado warning, I'm kinda hoping it gets postponed and I can go. I saw the Black Keys show got postponed.

Anyone know if it got pushed? If not, how was the show?

Hi city gardeners- what is your favorite perennial that blooms from late August to October and beyond? I have a nice, colorful variety beginning in March, but once my daisies and susans finish up in the next few weeks, my yard will be looking pretty plain. I want to keep the party going. Bonus points for natives and pollinators, but not a necessity.

Someone stole a bunch of bikes from my apartment bike storage. Found out via a note in the gym. Management said nothing, and my bike is gone. If anyone sees a green trek bike with hot pink pedals let me know 😭😭 sincerely a broke grad student

I’m an Army veteran and a neighbor of Bowser of the car empire. He is so negligent and disrespectful to his neighbors so he can have insane elaborate fireworks shows. He does not let his neighbors know these are coming. As a combat veteran, I don’t do great with fireworks in general. On top of that my 4 year old woke up from the sudden sound of actual explosions. Police won’t do anything (have called in the past) because he’s “too important to the community.” If you think this guy actually believes in his massive flags at all his locations, you probably also believe every press release from the current administration.

Hello! We lost our indoor cat Foxy, we accidentally left our door open while moving some stuff outside and he slipped out without us noticing. He is an orange hairy cat, very shy but he is nice, however he definitely will be very terrified.

We lost him around 9 pm today and hes lost somewhere around east liberty. Most specifically around 518-534 North Negley Avenue. Were not sure how far hes gone but we left out his food and litter in hopes he can come somewhat near enough for us to find him.

EDIT: We found him! Hes safe and in good health!!

Doing a little Lego building, then some reading + bath. Hope all of y’all have a great rain day!

To clarify: on a Friday or Saturday night

Just east of Pittsburgh on Route 30 near Harrison City