weather

High winds have just hit Genesee County -- there is a high wind warning in effect throughout the day -- and the first report of poles and wires down comes from Alabama.

Wires and poles are down on Lewiston Road and Knowlesville Road with arcing and sparking.

UPDATE 9:37 a.m.: Lines down on Vine Street, Batavia.

High winds are expected to hit the area tomorrow so the National Weather Service has issued a wind warning starting at 9 a.m. and lasting through 10 p.m.

Winds of 25 to 35 mph expected with gusts of 60 mph.

Strong winds can lead to downed trees, property damage and scattered power outages. Travel for high-profile vehicles could be difficult.

Crews this morning got busy dealing with some of last night's storm damage.

Above, city workers on Jackson Street cleaning up a downed pine tree.

Below, daylight photos of the gas station canopy on West Main Street that blew over last night. Workers there say they won't be able to begin cleanup work until insurance adjusters have finished their work, which may not be today.

Bottom photos, crews on Genesee Street (just west of the NYS Blind School) dealing with snapped utility poles and downed power lines after a large limb on a tree snapped off last night, also damaging a parked car.

Thousands of National Grid customers lost power for at least part of the night last night and currently, National Grid is still dealing with 21 power outages in the county affecting hundreds of customers. There are seven small outages in the city.

Sharon Herdtner submitted this photo of a double rainbow that she took from Richmond Avenue that seems to stretch from the Blind School over North Avenue to Northside Deli.

This is a power line arcing on Washington Avenue at Ellicott Avenue this evening.  

There are a total of 14 power outages in the City of Batavia, affecting 4,371 National Grid customers. 

The largest outage by geography starts in the city just west of Clinton Street at Main Street and spreads in a triangle shape from there to Nilesville Road in Stafford, as far north as the Thruway and south to East Bethany.

There are 2,093 customers effected by that outage (that number is included in the 14 outages mentioned above). The power went out for this outage at 7:49 p.m. and there is not yet an estimate when power will be restored.

There are also outages in Darien, Indian Falls, Le Roy, Pavilion and South Byron.

Below, a picture of a broken pole on Ellicott Avenue.

UPDATE: A reader submitted photo of a downed tree on Richley Road, Darien.

UPDATE: Ashley Smith submitted this photo of arcing near the Arrow Mart in Batavia.

A reader submitted this photo of the Sunoco gas station on Main Street in Batavia. The wind toppled the gas tank island's roof, breaking the metal pillar which holds it up at the base. The station was closed at the time and no injuries were reported.

High winds are wreaking havoc countywide and numerous power lines and tree limbs are reportedly down, keeping first responders and maintenance crews busy.

Jason Smith caught a bit of this rainbow of Oakfield-Alabama Central School while driving home from work this afternoon.

Winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts of 50 mph are expected starting about 6 p.m., Wednesday, and lasting until 4 a.m., Thursday.

Winds of 20 to 30 mph are expected to blow through Genesee County on Saturday.

A wind advisory has been issued from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Gusts up to 50 mph are possible.

The National Weather Service warns that winds of this speed could result in downed tree limbs and isolated power outages. Travel in high profile vehicles could be difficult.

Freezing rain, snow and wind are in the forecast for Sunday from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m., Monday.

Snow accumulation could range from four to seven inches.

Winds will be from the northwest at 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

Blowing and drifting snow on top of icy conditions are expected.

Visibility could be as low as a half mile at times.

The National Weather Service is predicting freezing rain starting at 11 p.m. with an advisory in effect through noon Sunday.

An accumulation of a 10th of an inch is possible.

Lows will be in the lower 30s overnight and upper 30s Sunday afternoon.

Driving and walking conditions could be hazardous.

A freezing rain advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service for Genesee County and is effect until 1 p.m.

An accumulation of ice on roadways and sidewalks of only a few hundredths of an inch will make for slippery conditions and caution is advised.

A lake effect snow warning has been issued for the region starting now until 4 a.m.

The previous winter storm advisory has been lifted.

Up to two inches of snow are expected to hit the area between now and this evening, with five to nine inches falling tonight.

Winds will be from 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

Visibility could drop to a quarter mile at times in some places.

The National Weather Service is now saying to expect slightly less snow over the course of Saturday into Sunday morning.

A previous winter weather watch has been downgraded to an advisory.

From two to four inches possible Saturday, three to five inches Saturday night, with a storm total of five to nine inches.

Winds will be 10 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph from the southwest.

Blowing and driving snow could make travel difficult at times in some locations.

A lake effect snow watch has been issued for the region from Saturday morning through late Saturday night.

From five to 10 inches of snow accumulation are possible.

Winds are expected from 15 to 25 mph from the west with gusts up to 35 mph.

Travel could be difficult at times.

The forecast confidence is medium. "There remains some uncertainty as to how far north the heaviest snow will advance," the weather service states.

Up to six inches of snow could be headed our way starting late this afternoon, and with winds of five to 15 mph, the National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Genesee County.

It takes effect at 4 p.m. and runs through 10 a.m. tomorrow.

Rain will change to snow in the late afternoon and from three to six inches of accumulation is expected.

The temperature will drop to around 30 degrees.

The weather service warns that snow will result in slick travel conditions. The worst conditions are expected tonight into Tuesday morning.

We have heavy fog throughout the county today and it's continuing this evening and into tomorrow morning.

There's a winter storm watch in place for Monroe County from Monday night into Tuesday, but so far it looks like this storm will miss Genesee County.

Dispatchers and first responders have been kept busy overnight and into the morning with reports of power lines down and cars off the roadway as a windstorm hit Genesee County with gusts up to 60 mph and temperatures below freezing.

No serious incidents were reported.

Currently, there are at least 17 known power outages across the county, affecting some 300 National Grid customers. The two largest appear to be in Byron with 171 customers without power and North Bergen with 57 customers without power.

There were two jackknifed trucks on the I-490, including one incident still ongoing with no injuries but a fuel leak is reported.

Windstorms and false alarms of fire at commercial structures seem to go hand-in-hand and at one point around 2 a.m., City of Batavia had three such simultaneous calls.

Several cars are reportedly off the road and travel on Route 63 through Pavilion has become difficult.

Fire police have been dispatched to Route 63 and Route 20, and Route 63 and Route 19 to shut down traffic in the area.

Multiple deputies have responded to assist motorists.

UPDATE (By Billie) 7:24 p.m.: A stranded semi has been removed and a heavy tow is hooking up a bus for removal now. DOT workers are expected soon. The roadway remains closed.

UPDATE: 9:20 p.m.: We just confirmed that Route 63 is now open to thru traffic.

A brief burst of heavy snow is heading toward Genesee County, according to the National Weather Service.

The snow is expected midmorning.

Snow accumulation could be about an inch, falling within about a 45 minute time period.

Expect slippery roadways and fast accumulation on recently cleared surfaces.

"Motorists should slow down and allow some extra time to reach their destination through mid morning," the weather service advises.