By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – Heavy rain and thunderstorms began to roll over the metro Buffalo area around 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Heavy downpours caused some roadways to pound along the curbs and sidewalks. But along a section of Main Street in Williamsville during the 6'o'clock hour it was causing minor flooding.
As you will note in the photo, torrential rain poured along the Williamsville/Amherst area. It created some flooded spots along Main Street at the entrance to Tops near Union Road. Traffic managed to plow through during the downpour, but the heavy rain on the windshield made driving conditions difficult and slowed traffic.
The National Weather Service Office in Buffalo issued the following Special Weather Statement.
PECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BUFFALO NY 756 PM EDT WED MAY 18 2011
NYZ001-010-190130- NIAGARA-NORTHERN ERIE- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...NIAGARA FALLS...BUFFALO 756 PM EDT WED MAY 18 2011
...ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS EVENING... SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE METRO BUFFALO AND METRO NIAGARA FALLS REGION THIS EVENING. WHILE MOST OF THESE STORMS WILL BE YOUR GARDEN VARIETY...A FEW HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME MODERATE TO HEAVY WITH RAINFALL RATES OF HALF AN INCH OR MORE PER HOUR.
EARLIER THIS EVENING A SOLID HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAIN FELL ACROSS A REGION FROM NEAR MARILLA NORTHWESTWARD TOWARDS LANCASTER... WILLIAMSVILLE...NORTH TONAWANDA AND WHEATFIELD.
THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND LOW LYING AREAS. SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS ESPECIALLY IN AREAS THAT RECEIVED AN INCH OF RAIN PRIOR WILL RISE TO NEAR BANKFULL THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS
ACTIVITY MOVING FROM SOUTHEAST TO NORTHWEST WILL DIMINISH TO SCATTERED SHOWERS FROM EAST TO WEST THIS EVENING BETWEEN 9 AND 10 PM.