By Associated Press
Buffalo, NY – Heavy rains followed by strong winds battered the Buffalo area Friday.
National Grid said 15,000 customers in Western New York were without power Saturday morning. The utility expects all power to be restored to affected customers by midnight.
Temperatures across the upstate region dropped into the 30s. Jamestown reported 28 degrees and snow at 9 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Strong winds in western New York peaked Friday at 67 mph, said Dave Sage, spokesman for the weather service in Buffalo.
The windy conditions Friday created waves on Lake Erie, forcing water onto shoreline areas in Hamburg, Lackawanna and Buffalo. Flooding forced the closure of Route 5 in the Hoover Beach area of Hamburg. The Buffalo River also overflowed its banks in Buffalo and the Erie Basin Marina was swamped.
Buffalo police were called to block off the entrance to LaSalle Park, where the waters of Lake Erie reportedly were crashing against the railings.
In Niagara County, the sheriff's office said trees fell on cars in Wheatfield, Porter and Lockport, causing minor injuries.