By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – Strong winds are battering much of the Buffalo area today. The National Weather Service is continuing a wind advisory until 4:00 Wednesday afternoon for wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour.
The Buffalo Coast Guard Station reports a peak gust of 60 miles per hour this morning. Winds reached 51 miles per hour at the airport weather station.
The strong winds have raised water levels along the Lake Erie shoreline. A lakeshore flood warning was scheduled to expire 12noon. Waves were crashing along the shoreline this morning, resulting in some water and debris spilling onto Route 5 in Hamburg.
The strong winds have brought down tree limbs and power lines throughout the region. National Grid reports more than one thousand customers are without power in Erie County and another 22-hundred in the Southern Tier. It could take crews until midnight to restore all service.
New York State Electric and Gas does not have specific figures but is reporting a number of outages in South Buffalo and Orchard Park.