Pittsburgh residents got a brief break from a soggy stretch of weather Saturday morning, with sunshine returning to the region even as a flood watch remained in effect across much of western Pennsylvania through the early hours of Sunday. Forecasters warned that the risk of flash flooding had not passed, with the heaviest rain and storms of the weekend still expected to arrive before the region finally dries out.

The National Weather Service office in Pittsburgh issued the flood watch covering a wide swath of counties across western Pennsylvania, along with adjacent parts of eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia. The watch remains in place through early Sunday, with officials warning that saturated ground and already elevated creeks and streams leave the region especially vulnerable to further flooding, even from what would otherwise be considered a moderate amount of rainfall.

Why this weekend carries elevated risk

The greatest chance for widespread rain and storms was expected to arrive Saturday afternoon and stretch into the evening. Forecasters cautioned that some storms could stall over the same locations for an extended period, allowing rainfall to pile up in those spots and sharply raising the threat of flash flooding.

While gusty winds were possible with some of the stronger storm cells, heavy rain and flooding — not wind damage — remained the primary concern for the region heading into Saturday night. According to forecasters, as little as an inch of rain falling within an hour could be enough to trigger flash flooding in vulnerable areas. The heaviest rainfall totals, potentially reaching two to four inches, were expected near and to the east of Pittsburgh.

A punishing stretch of rain already on the books

The heightened concern followed a difficult stretch of weather earlier in the week, when portions of eastern Ohio and western West Virginia recorded between four and eight inches of rain. Some locations picked up twice their typical September rainfall total in just a few hours during that earlier round of storms.

That deluge proved severe enough to wash out roads and force emergency crews to carry out improvised repairs in several locations across the affected region. With creeks and streams already running high and soil across the area near its saturation point, forecasters said any additional heavy rainfall this weekend carried a greater risk of triggering fresh flooding than it otherwise would under drier conditions.

When conditions are expected to improve

Forecasters said Saturday’s rain was expected to shift east before midnight, allowing western Pennsylvania to begin drying out overnight and into Sunday morning. Sunday itself was expected to bring some relief, though not a complete reset from the wet pattern, with morning clouds giving way to muggy afternoon sunshine and only an isolated late-day shower or storm possible.

The improving conditions were welcome news for what marks the first Steelers Sunday of the season in Pittsburgh, with kickoff-time temperatures expected to sit around 80 degrees, offering fans a far more comfortable environment than the region has seen over the preceding days of steady downpours.

What comes after the weekend

The dry stretch is not expected to last long. Forecasters said the new work and school week is set to begin dry and noticeably cooler across the Pittsburgh region, but the calm weather is likely to be short-lived, with another round of rain already on track to move back into the area by Thursday.

Residents in flood-prone areas were advised to continue monitoring local forecasts closely through the weekend, given how quickly conditions have shifted between periods of heavy rainfall and brief dry spells over the past several days. Areas along creeks, streams and low-lying roadways remain particularly susceptible to rapid water rises during any additional bursts of heavy rain, even relatively brief ones, given how saturated the ground already is heading into Saturday evening.

Broader regional impact

The flood watch extends well beyond the city of Pittsburgh itself, encompassing a broad stretch of western Pennsylvania along with neighboring sections of eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia, reflecting how widespread the saturated ground conditions have become across the tri-state region following the earlier storms.

Local officials and emergency management agencies across the watch area are continuing to monitor stream and creek levels closely as the weekend’s storm activity plays out, particularly given the earlier reports of washed-out roads and emergency repair work needed in parts of eastern Ohio and western West Virginia just days before this weekend’s system arrived.

What residents should do

Meteorologists generally advise residents in flood watch areas to avoid driving through flooded roadways, monitor local weather alerts throughout the evening and overnight hours, and pay close attention to any changes in official guidance as storms track through the region. Because flash flooding can develop quickly, particularly in areas where storms stall and repeatedly dump heavy rain over the same locations, forecasters emphasized that conditions could shift rapidly even in spots that initially appear to be experiencing only light or moderate rainfall.

With the flood watch set to expire in the early hours of Sunday and drier, cooler weather expected to move in behind the weekend’s storms, the Pittsburgh region appeared positioned for a return to more stable conditions by the start of the coming week, even as forecasters flagged the next chance of rain arriving again by Thursday.

‘Leapfrog’ China tech?

Sam Abuelsamid, a battery expert and vice president of market research at Telemetry, noted it will likely take years to domesticate a battery supply chain.

At the same time, China continues to develop and produce new types of chemistries, including sodium-ion.

“There’s no reason why the LFP materials couldn’t also be produced here,” Abuelsamid said. “There’s ways to do that, but … the sodium-ion would be even cheaper and easier to do.”

Kelty numerous times said GM hopes to “leapfrog” China’s battery technologies, noting that competing directly with Chinese supply chains or mimicking what that market has already established would be difficult.

“The better thing to do is try to leapfrog, come up with a different technology that’s actually better that we can actually source here,” Kelty said.

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Kelty said he views sodium-ion as the best solution for ESS, because its chemistry and temperature tolerance allow for the cells to function without active cooling — a major source of cost and complexity associated with ESS. That improvement means lowering the cost of ownership for energy storage, he said.

The Warren Battery Cell Innovation Center on General Motors’ global tech and design campus in suburban Detroit.

Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors

HDFC Bank‘s board has submitted two candidates to the Reserve Bank of India for the role of CEO, the lender said on Saturday, formally starting the succession process for ‌Sashidhar Jagdishan, ⁠who ⁠is due to retire later this year.

The ​bank did not disclose the names of the ​candidates.

Indian banking rules require private-sector banks to obtain prior RBI approval for the appointment of their managing director ⁠and CEO, ‌giving the regulator a key role in vetting senior management.

Jagdishan, ⁠who has led the bank since ​2020, is set to step down ​at the end of his second term in October.

The bank also moved to bolster its board, reappointing V. Srinivasa Rangan as a whole-time ‌director, a regulatory designation for full-time bank directors, and appointing Chief Credit ​Officer Jimmy ​Tata to ⁠the board in the same capacity.

Deputy Managing Director Kaizad Bharucha is already a whole-time ​director.
The bank also said it would create a fourth whole-time director position, to be held by the incoming CEO once appointed.

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Samsung New Zealand has released a new advertisement for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 starring a real estate agent named Tim Cook, using the coincidental name match to poke fun at Apple just days after the company unveiled its first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo.

The man in the ad, a property agent with Harcourts in Palmerston North, New Zealand, is not the former Apple CEO of the same name, though he bears a passing resemblance to him and is dressed in glasses and understated clothing similar to what Apple’s real Tim Cook is known to wear. Samsung’s clip opens with the caption “Tim Cook has an announcement. And for once, it’s about Galaxy.”

How the ad plays out

The spot mimics the cinematic, hyperbolic tone Apple typically uses in its own product launch videos. “Hi. I’m Tim Cook, from Palmy,” the man says at the start of the ad, using a local nickname for Palmerston North. “And I’m reviewing my new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8.”

He goes on to deliver lines styled after Apple’s typical marketing language, including “the future is here” and “with this phone everything changes.” The ad closes with the man delivering what sounds like a scripted product endorsement. “This thing is the best of both worlds,” he says. “Best phone I’ve ever had. You can quote me. Tim Cook from Palmerston North.”

Samsung also worked in a more pointed dig at Apple’s actual Tim Cook, referencing his recently updated profile picture as part of the ad’s broader jab at the tech giant.

Timing tied directly to Apple’s foldable debut

Samsung published the ad on social media a day after Apple officially unveiled the iPhone Duo, its long-rumored first foldable iPhone, at the company’s Sept. 9 “Surprise and Shine” event. That same event also introduced the iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5, but the iPhone Duo drew the most attention given years of speculation about whether and when Apple would enter the foldable phone category.

The timing was hardly incidental. Samsung has built much of its recent marketing around its multiyear head start in the foldable space, having launched its first foldable device, the original Galaxy Fold, in 2019. With Apple’s foldable debut poised to draw fresh mainstream attention to the category, Samsung’s campaign frames the Galaxy Z Fold 8 as the more established, proven option.

Industry analysts have suggested that Apple’s entry into the space could meaningfully expand the overall foldable phone market, which currently accounts for roughly 2% of global smartphone sales, according to Counterpoint Research. A larger foldable market driven by Apple’s arrival could benefit Samsung as well, even as the two companies compete directly for share of that growing segment.

Part of a long tradition of Apple-mocking ads

The Tim Cook spot continues a marketing tradition Samsung has leaned on for more than a decade, repeatedly using humor to needle its biggest smartphone rival. One widely remembered Samsung ad for the Galaxy S2 mocked iPhone fans lined up outside Apple Stores waiting to buy the iPhone 4S, including a memorable scene featuring a customer who insists he can’t buy a Samsung phone because he considers himself “creative,” only for a friend to point out that he works as a barista.

Another Samsung campaign, tied to the Galaxy Note 8, featured an Apple fan sporting a haircut styled to resemble the iPhone’s screen notch. Samsung also ran a recurring “Ingenious” ad series that showed an Apple Store employee fielding pointed questions from customers about whether iPhones offered features Samsung phones already had, such as a headphone jack or an included fast charger in the box.

An unusual moment for Apple’s actual leadership

The ad also arrives at a notable transition point for Apple’s real executive leadership. At the company’s Sept. 9 event, Apple marked the end of the Tim Cook era at the top of the company, with new CEO John Ternus taking over presentation duties. During the opening of the event, Cook appeared briefly on stage, initially appearing as though he might lead the keynote once more, before turning to the audience and saying, “No, no, no, not me,” and gesturing to Ternus as his successor. Cook had first taken over as Apple’s CEO in 2011, following Steve Jobs’ resignation, after briefly serving in the role during a medical leave Jobs took starting in January 2009.

A lighthearted jab amid a serious product race

Despite its playful tone, the campaign underscores the competitive stakes both companies face as foldable phones move further into the mainstream smartphone conversation. Samsung has spent years refining its foldable lineup, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and its predecessors, while Apple’s arrival with the iPhone Duo represents a significant strategic shift for a company that had, until this year, stayed out of the foldable category entirely.

For now, Samsung’s ad offers a lighter counterpoint to that broader competitive backdrop, using a case of mistaken identity and a New Zealand real estate agent’s uncanny resemblance to Apple’s former chief executive to generate buzz — and a fair bit of online amusement — right as Apple’s own foldable ambitions take center stage.