More than 20,000 people are without power in Pennsylvania as temperatures heat up

About 21,000 people in Pennsylvania are without power Tuesday afternoon following a Monday night storm, according to PowerOutage.us.

The outages come as heat index values will push into the low 100s each afternoon this week, making conditions very dangerous for anyone without a reliable way to cool down. 

The storm hit the Pittsburgh area Monday night. A company spokesperson for FirstEnergy, one of the power companies serving Pennsylvania, told CNN they are rapidly restoring power Tuesday afternoon. 

Some counties may have restored power as soon as tonight at 11 p.m. ET, while other areas may not receive power until later this week, the spokesperson said. 

Duquesne Light Co., another power company serving the state, has “activated a storm response team” and increased staffing to help restore power, according to their voicemail system.  

Heat wave in the forecast: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, could see six consecutive days above 95 degrees from the heat wave blanketing the Northeast and Midwest, which would tie the longest stretch of consecutive days above 95 degrees set in 1994, according to CNN reporting. 

From Tuesday through Saturday in southwestern Pennsylvania, low temperatures each night will struggle to reach 70 degrees.