weather

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the southern half of Genesee County and it's in effect until 3:30 this afternoon.

The deluge of rain has flooded roadways and drainage pipes causing driving hazards and other problems.

There are reports of flooding on Route 5 and Gilbert Street, Route 19 and Hilltop, Route 19 and Wolcott in Le Roy.

In the city, Watson and Thorpe are flooded again, about six to eight inches of water as the storm wound down. The basement of 14 Watson St. flooded again. Watson and Evans was also flooded.

We'll add more info as we get it.

UPDATE 3:50 p.m.: According to the National Weather Service, it's about 72 degrees out with humidity of 87 percent. More showers and possibly a thunderstorm are predicted until midnight, with showers forecast thereafter. Route 5 is reopened.

For any residents looking to donate money to help Paul Konieczny save his multi-generational house on Harvester Avenue, which was badly damaged by recent storms, a donation page has been set up with a Web site that helps enable such efforts.

The page is located at "Paul's House" on Indiegogo.com.

The page was set up by Amy D'Amico.

To learn more about Indiegogo.com, click here.

The National Weather Service issued this weather alert:

AT 1 PM A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS ADVANCING INTO THE REGION FROM THE WEST. NORTHERN ERIE AND NIAGARA COUNTIES WILL SEE THE ACTIVITY BEGINNING THERE BY 130 PM, WITH AREAS FARTHER EAST BY 230 PM. MANY OF THESE STORMS WILL CONTAIN WIND GUSTS OF 40 MPH, SMALL HAIL, FREQUENT LIGHTNING, AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS CAPABLE OF CREATING PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS AND LOW LYING AREAS. ANY OF THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE DURING THE AFTERNOON.

UPDATE 2:04 p.m.: Dispatcher: "We've got a report that the viaduct may be flooding."

UPDATE 2:10 p.m.: Route 5 through Le Roy is closed becuase the viaduct is flooded.

UPDATE 2:17 p.m.: Le Roy fire requesting all available manpower to the fire hall for standby.

UPDATE 2:19 p.m.: Cedar Street underpass is flooding.

UPDATE 2:21 p.m.: Our newly installed rain gauge has measured just over a half inch of rain in the past hour. What's your's showing? If you have weather related photos to share: Send them to howard at the batavian dot com (properly format the email address, of course). Flooding is reported at Maltby and Route 63. A basement is flooded at 38 Myrtle St., Le Roy. It may be a foundation problem, so pumping it out may not be an option. A roadblock is requested on Gilbert Street, Le Roy.

UPDATE 2:26 p.m.: About 138 National Grid customers are without power in the area of Randall Road, Stafford. ETA for power restoration is 5 p.m. City fire has received a general fire alarm at the Dollar Tree store. 

UPDATE 2:28 p.m.: Four inches of water is reported on Pratt Road. The Dollar Tree has a flooding problem, which probably set off the fire alarm. Also, the NWS has issued a severe thunderstorm warning:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BUFFALO HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... SOUTHEASTERN GENESEE COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK NORTH CENTRAL LIVINGSTON COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK NORTHEASTERN WYOMING COUNTY IN WESTERN NEW YORK

* UNTIL 3:00 PM EDT

* AT 2:24 PM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR PAVILION... OR 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BATAVIA... AND MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

* SOME LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE... WYOMING... PAVILION... YORK... AVON... GENESEO...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7:00 PM EDT SUNDAY EVENING FOR WESTERN NEW YORK.

UPDATE 2:34 p.m.: Ellicott Street is flooded and a vehicle is disabled, though the occupant is out of the vehcile. Ross Street between North and Ellsworth is covered in water. A pool is flooding into a basement on Ellicott Street.

UPDATE 2:53 p.m.: City fire assignment on Ellicott Street for basement flooding is back in service.

UPDATE 2:54 p.m.: Ellicott Street is reopened.

UPDATE 2:59 p.m.: Route 5 in Le Roy should be reopened within 10 minutes. A reader sent over this picture of what I think is Ellicott Street.

UPDATE 3:12 p.m.: Le Roy is clear from Myrtle Street. All Le Roy assignments are back in service.

UPDATE 3:18 p.m.: Le Roy crew needed for cellar pump detail. A chief requests that future requests for such details go directly to the fire hall from dispatch. Crews are standing by. Below is a view of Ganson Avenue submitted by Ron and Diane Burroughs. Cedar Street is open. Rick Franclemont reports about an inch and a half of rain at his place in Corfu.

UPDATE 5:49 p.m.: Ron Burroughs "fishing" on Ganson Avenue.

If planning an outdoor activity for this afternoon, the National Weather Services warns "be prepared for rapidly changing and potentially hazardous weather."

By this afternoon -- probably around 3 p.m. -- Genesee County is expected to be hit by strong thunderstorms.

The storm will pick up strength as it moves east.

It may produce strong winds and large hail. Gusts may exceed 60 mph.

Aiden, at 22 months, enjoyed his first visit to the Spray Park in Austin Park today while his family, from Clarendon, was visiting Batavia.

More shots from the Spray Park in today's 90-degree weather below.

The weather prediction for Sunday remains strong thunderstorms.

Temperatures are expected to hit the low to mid 90s today, with humidity driving the heat index into the high 90s.

The heat, the National Weather Service warns, has the potential of increasing the risk for heat-related illness.

The NWS recommends limiting exposure to heat outside if possible and drinking plenty of fluids.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is scattered thunderstorms in the morning, becoming more widespread with possible severe storms in the afternoon.

The storms, which could extend into the night, may produce large hail and strong winds.

Batavia may have experienced yesterday what is known as a 100-year-flood event.

The data is still being evaluated, it appears that within a two-hour period 3 inches of rain fell on Batavia and parts of Le Roy and Darien.

The city's infrastructure held up pretty well under the circumstances, said City Manager Jason Molino.

"That's a small time frame for that amount of volume," Molino said. "You've got to understand that sanitary and sewer systems are not designed to handle that kind of volume."

He said everything worked as it should.

"There were no failures in the system," Molino said. "There were no collapses and no malfunctions. The water pretty much dissipated within 30 minutes (of the rain stopping)."

A couple of dozen property owners, at least, reported flooded basements or flood-related damage.

Residents who witnessed water cascading into their basements may not feel like the system worked as it should, and Molino sympathized and said when your's is the place being flooded "it's tough to understand" that a combination of location (in a flood plain) and heavy localized rain is something no municipal drainage system is designed to handle.

Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator for Genesee County, said that such relatively few reports of damage in Batavia may mean that the county can't qualify for an emergency designation that would free up funding for financial help for property owners. But perhaps if the storm damage is grouped in with damage to Elmira and other parts of the Southern Tier last week, an emergency designation might be possible, he said.

If you suffered property damage, Molino said, you should contact your insurance company, but you can also contact the city manager's office to ensure the damage is counted in any reports sent to the state or federal government.

Yaeger cautioned against "false hope" of an emergency designation because "it's a very high threshold to meet."

The map shows rain total estimates for the hours of 4 to 6 p.m. Pink is 2+ inches and blue is 3 inches.

Paul Konieczny wanted to get his home at 144 Harvester Ave., Batavia, insured again, so yesterday morning he bought the material to re-roof the 130-year-old house. Then the rains came.

The water came so fast that it overwhelmed the foundation on the south side of the residence and the stone wall collapsed into the basement. Konieczny said he heard it come down with a big thud.

Without insurance, he isn't sure how he will repair the structure.

"I need a blessing, is what I need," he said.

A few minutes later, he did get some small bit of good news from code inspector Doug Randell. The house is temporarily condemned, but if he can install temporary bracing in the basement today, he can move back in.

Pending repairs, the gas is shut off, but he can continue electrical service.

A friend was there to help Konieczny and they are looking for any kind of assistance, government, charitable or private, they might be able to find to make permanent repairs.

Konieczny's family has owned the home continuously since it was built in the 1870s, he said. In fact, the man who built it, he said, was Anthony Horch, the city's first fire chief.

He said he has a copy of the original deed in a cabinet in his house.

"I don't care what the house looks like, I'm not leaving," Konieczny said. "There are too many memories. Too many memories."

Inset photo, Konieczny with Director of Public Works Sally Kuzon.

With things winding down from the storm this evening, I drove down Harvester Avenue and spotted this long puddle next to the railroad tracks and thought "that might be pretty interesting come sunset time." So at dusk, I drove back and made this photo.

Patches of flooding were reported throughout Batavia this afternoon after a heavy thunderstorm passed through the area starting at about 3 p.m., with the heaviest rains falling between 5 and 6 p.m.

Cars got stuck in underpasses, basements were flooded, and children found the biggest puddles of their lives to splash around in.

No injuries were reported as a result of the strong storm.

Floodwaters receded quickly once the rain slowed to a drizzle.

Top photo, a car stuck under the train bridge on Cedar Street.

Liberty Street between Ellicott and Main.

Tree limb down on power lines on Harvester Avenue, early in the storm.

Close up of the vehicle on Cedar Street.

Vehicle under the train bridge on Ellicott Street.

Some children on Vine Street had a great time with the flooding. Their parents said earlier Vine was heavily flooded, as the waters receded the children stood next to what was left of the puddle and waited for cars to come past and splash water on them.

A resident on Tracy Avenue invited me to see their flooded backyard.

A vehicle on Tracy Avenue.

More photos after the jump (click on the headline):

The photo above and the next several of children playing on Hutchins Street.

The backyard of the Finn residence on Hutchins Street.

The basement of the Finn residence. The water streamed in from the street to the side of the house.

On Watson Street, the basement of this house was flooded and firefighters set up barriers to keep cars off the street because every vehicle that passed pushed more water into the basement.

The flooded basement on Watson.

After the floodwaters on Hutchins Street receded, firefighters were able to pump out the basement of the Finn residence.

Almost as soon as the first reports of flooding came in I started getting texts and emails from readers of pictures they were taking. Of course, by this time, I was out taking my own photos, which I'll post later.

We also requested photos in our breaking news post on the storm.

Here are the photos we received so far. If you have any, email them to howard at the batavian dot com (of course, turn that into a properly formatted email address). If you have video, upload it to YouTube and email me the URL of the published video and we can post that, too. Get your photos in soon because we won't keep adding them indefinitely.

Above, photo of the Lehigh Avenue underpass from Greg Emerson.

Route 5 underpass, Le Roy, from Mary Margaret Ripley.

From Matt Hendershott, vehicle stuck under the bridge on Cedar Street.

From Tina Heartgrove, Spencer Court.

From Frank Bellucci, vehicle stuck under train bridge on Ellicott Street.

From Kyle Couchman, Swan Street.

Video from Jamie.

More photos after the jump (click on the headline):

From a reader on Vine Street.

From Janet, Liberty Street

From Robyn Silliman, backyard off Ellicott Street.

From Rita Towner, backyard canoeing.

From Kim Williams, canoeing on Ganson Avenue.

From Jennifer, Vine Street.

Lori Brickwood-Coles, Liberty Street. She included this note, "My sons Alex and Owen had fun in the flood, my Great Aunt told us the story of when Liberty flooded before in the '70s and people had actual boats on the streets because the water was so high."

Photo from County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens of the maintenance yard on Cedar Street.

There's a report of basement flooding at 16 Watson St., Batavia.

City fire has Engine 12 and Ladder 15 responding to a fire alarm at 1 Elizabeth St., Batavia, and a crew is taking Engine 16 to check on Watson.

The city had a brief power outage about 10 minutes ago.

There are no power outages reported in the county at the moment.

Le Roy fire just cleared from a power meter that was arcing.

Bergen fire is on scene of some sort of fire/electrical problem at the Verizon station on Transit Road.

Town of Batavia fire is responding to a fire alarm at the Clarion Hotel on Park Road.

City fire just received a fire alarm at 56 Harvester Ave.

The current storm should pass within the hour.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood advisory in effect until 7:45 p.m. The storm could bring as much as two inches of rain.

UPDATE 5:09 p.m.: Tree and wires down at 56 Harvester. Flooding on Thorpe and Watson. Water leak on the top floor of the Clarion.

UPDATE 5:16 p.m. (from this update forward - Billie): Le Roy Fire Police are called to shut down traffic at 100 W. Main Street at the underpass because of flooding, which is creating hazardous driving conditions. The underpass is flooded between both bridges.

UPDATE 5:22 p.m.: Flooding "up to the floorboards of most vehicles" is reported in the City of Batavia at Main and Liberty streets. Wires are also reported down at 100 Harvester Ave. The power company has been notified about the situation on Harvester and DPW is called to remove the tree. The basement at UMMC is flooded and city fire is responding.

UPDATE 5:32 p.m.: Traffic is going to be shut down on Cedar and Ellicott streets due to flooding. Drivers are advised to park curbside and remain in their vehicles with their four-way lights on until the heavy storm passes. Numerous residences have flooded basements and emergency responders will assist them in the order their calls were placed. A person is reportedly trapped inside a vehicle at a flooded area at 18 Lehigh Ave. in the city. UMMC's basement flooding has "been mitigated."

UPDATE 5:40 p.m.: Fire police are called to shut down Le Roy -- East Bethany Road at Route 5.

UPDATE 5:46 p.m.: The smell of an electrical fire is reported at offices at 12 Center St. in the city. The workers evacuated the space and city firefighters are responding. A bolt of lightening struck an electrical box at Bank Street Road and Saille Drive and it's now on fire. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding. There is flooding reported at Richmond and Park roads.

UPDATE 5:51 p.m.: A utility pole was struck by lightening at Terry Hills Golf Course on Clinton Street Road in the Town of Batavia and it's on fire. Town firefighters are responding. They cleared the scene at Bank Street Road and Saille Drive. The transformer box was struck by lightening but is no longer on fire. This will be added to the rapidly swelling to-do list for National Grid. The traffic light at the fork in the road at Main and Ellicott is out.

UPDATE 5:56 p.m.: It's all-hands-on-deck time for the Town of Batavia. All available manpower is called to man the stations while crews handle emergency calls.

UPDATE 6 p.m.: The worst of the storm appears to be over and another one isn't on the horizon for about six hours. However, the National Weather Service has issued this warning:

Flash flooding is occurring or is imminent in your area. Immediately go to higher ground if quickly rising water is about to impact your location. If you are in a vehicle, drive away from flooded areas. If on foot, do not attempt to walk through flood waters. Please check back for official updates.

UPDATE 6:04 p.m.: City fire has cleared Center Street.

UPDATE 6:06 p.m.: There's about 18 inches of water at East Avenue and Trumbull Parkway and it "may be a losing battle" to try and clear says a responder. Bethany is back in service. 

UPDATE 7:56 p.m. (by Howard): There are about seven power outages in the county effecting about 200 customers. The largest is just north of Clinton Street Road going into South Byron (92 customers, no ETA for restoration) and along Bank Street Road south of Route 262 (79 customers, with an 8:30 ETA for restoration). The Route 5 underpass in Le Roy is reopened. Firefighters are continuing to work through lists of flooded basements and the occasional attic is added to the list. We've received several photos from readers and will start posting them soon. If you have photos, email them to howard at the batavian dot com. I'll also be posting my own photos this evening.

UPDATE 8:22 p.m. (by Billie): Route 63 is reopened.

UPDATE 8:33 p.m.: Cedar Street is reopened.

UPDATE 9:24 p.m.: Le Roy fire has completed all of its assignments and is back in service.

Statement from the National Weather Service:

... STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT...

A COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES THIS EVENING WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST OVERNIGHT AND PUSH ACROSS THE WESTERN COUNTIES OF NEW YORK AFTER 2 AM. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE PART OF AN INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE... MOISTURE RICH AIRMASS THAT WILL SUPPORT VIGOROUS UPDRAFTS... LEADING TO A HEIGHTENED THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER.

THE GREATEST THREAT WILL BE IN THE FORM OF DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH... ALONG WITH VERY FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. THERE IS EVEN THE RISK OF AN ACTUAL DERECHO MOVING THROUGH THE REGION... WHICH COULD EASILY PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 70 MPH.

THE STRONGER STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS... WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY LEAD TO LOCALIZED FLOODING IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS... PARTICULARLY IN URBAN AREAS.

THE HIGHEST CHANCE FOR THE STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE OVER THE FAR WESTERN COUNTIES BETWEEN 2 AM AND 5 AM EDT.

STAY TUNED FOR UPDATED FORECASTS AND POSSIBLE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES AND WARNINGS THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

Portion of statement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo:

Governor Andrew Cuomo today urged New Yorkers to be prepared as severe thunderstorms storms pass through the state tomorrow. The storms are forecasted to bring heavy rain, high winds, and possible tornadoes, and may cause widespread power outages.

The National Weather Service today briefed state officials on the approaching storms and declared a Moderate Risk of Severe Weather for New York State. The prediction includes the possibility of high winds and possible tornadoes. At the Governor's direction, the State Emergency Operations Center will be activated tomorrow at 1:00 PM. As weather conditions can change rapidly, the Governor today urged New Yorkers to pay close attention to local radio and television reports to stay up to date with the storms' progress.

“I urge all New Yorkers to take caution and pay attention to local radio and television reports for the latest information on the progress of these summer storms," Governor Cuomo said. "Proper precautions undertaken now can help ensure that the strong winds and heavy rain cause as little damage as possible and that families and individuals are kept safe from harm."

With moderate drought conditions in Genesee County, state and local officials are warning residents of unsafe fire conditions.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statewide residential open-fire ban last week, and today, Tim Yaeger, Genesee County Emergency Services, urged residents to use caution with any type of fire.

While a small cooking or camping fire is permitted, larger fires, such as a bonfire are out of the question, Yaeger said.

All fires should be no closer than 50 feet to a structure and some sort of extinguishing agent should be within 50 feet of the fire.

"That's the New York Fire code anyway, but we don't want to wind up with the possibility of a fire spreading," Yaeger said.

This time of year, the kind of open burns associated with rural areas and agriculture aren't too common, but people still might be tempted to start fires for recreational purposes and in those cases, extreme caution is in order.

On average, Batavia received about 3.5 inches of rain in July. So far this month, not even a half inch has fallen and precipitation totals for the year are off by more than six inches from average.

The lack of precipitation creates another problem for firefighters -- less available water to fight fires in areas without municipal water.

Typically, when there are no hydrants to connect to, firefighters draw water from nearby creeks and retention ponds.

Yaeger said what he's seen of retention ponds and other standing water sources is that water levels remain adequate but are getting low.

Drawing water from brooks and streams right now might be more difficult for firefighters.

"Brooks and streams are pretty much out of service right now," Yaeger said. "Luckily, in this county, with the additional municipal water services has eased the burden from what it was 10 or 15 years ago."

If there is a fire with current water supply conditions in an area without municipal water, Yaeger said, it will mean scene commanders will need to request additional tankers from mutual-aid departments in order to maintain an adequate water supply to fight any type of fire.

All residential brush burning is banned in the state through Oct. 10.

In issuing the ban, Cuomo said, "These conditions should not be taken lightly. The potential for disastrous wildfires is present in all areas of the state and we must do whatever we can to prevent fires from occurring.

"The state will continue to closely monitor the wildfire danger and we will deploy whatever resources are necessary to protect New Yorkers should a critical situation occur."

There is a report of wires arcing in the area of 2104 Judge Road, Alabama.

Alabama Fire Department is responding.

There are also reports of tree limbs down in a few locations, including on Pratt Road.

UPDATE 10:08 a.m.: Report of wires down and arcing in area of 8900 Creek Road, Batavia. Town of Batavia fire responding. Also, according to National Grid, some 170 customers are without power in the Dodgeson Road area of Alexander.

UPDATE 10:13 a.m.: Pavilion Fire Department is also working an incident on York Road.

UPDATE 10:21 a.m.: National Grid reports 31 customers without power along Route 20 in the area of Brookville Road, Alexander. Also, a tree is down in the area of Dillon Road, Pavilion.

UPDATE 10:27 a.m.: Pavilion is working multiple incidents of trees and lines down. All available manpower requested to the hall.

UPDATE 10:31 a.m.: 15 minute ETA for National Grid on Town of Batavia's incident.

UPDATE 10:41 a.m.: Photos sent in by Tim Walton. A tree was knocked down by a lightning strike in the area of 100 Ross St., Batavia. The tree damaged a car (only one parked where three are normally parked) and took out a fence on Batavia Middle School property. Also, a tree reported down on Old Creek Road and a chief responds he's also received a report of a tree down on Little Canada Road. Dispatcher: "Copy, trees down everywhere."

UPDATE 10:50 a.m.: Report of lines down, arcing on Wilkenson Road, East Pembroke. East Pembroke fire responding. Also, fewer than 10 customers without power in the area of Route 20 and Route 63, Pavilion. No word on whether traffic signals at that location effected.

UPDATE 10:56 a.m.: Texaco Town intersection, traffic lights on four-way red flash.

UPDATE 10:58 a.m.: Creek Road and Little Canada trees removed. Wilkenson Road being closed between Route 33 and Lear Road.

UPDATE 11:23 a.m.: Creek Road is clear. Town of Batavia is back in service.

UPDATE 11:34 a.m.: East Pembroke is back in service.

UPDATE 12:12 p.m.: There is a power outage around Creek Road that stretches from East Alexander to north of Route 63. More than 400 customers are without power. The Dodgeson Road outage now effects more than 300 customers.  There are a handful of lesser power outages throughout the county.

UPDATE 12:20 p.m.: Photo below from Dana Lamb of tree down on power line on Brown Road, Pembroke.

UPDATE 12:39 p.m.: National Grid has or will cut power along York Road and South Street (or a portion of them) so large fallen trees can be removed by county highway crews. Pavilion fire command is informed of this.

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for the extreme southeastern portion of Genesee County by the National Weather Service in Buffalo. It's in effect until 1:15 p.m.

Doppler radar initially spotted the storm 18 miles south of Batavia at 12:16 p.m. and moving east at 35 mph.

The storm is capable of producing quarter-size hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. Continuous cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm. The National Weather Service warns: you should move indoors immediately -- if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning, one of nature's number-one killers.

Later this afternoon, there's a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Breezy, with a west wind between 18 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 58. Southwest wind between 7 and 10 mph.

It's going to be hot today -- temperatures possibly in the low 90s, with humidity.

The National Weather Service is reminding people to be mindful of the heat as they're out and about for Memorial Day and take precautions to protect against heat exhaustion.

The weather service suggestions people limit strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day, be sure to stay well hydrated, and never leave children or pets in unattended vehicles.

The temperature today will likely be 20 degrees above normal for this time of the year.

A group of geese were behind Settler's -- as there often is -- and keeping cool in the Tonawanda this afternoon.

The temperature today is 76 degrees with humidity at 56 percent.

Thunderstorms are expected between 6 and 8 p.m.

Temperatures are expected to climb into the 80s by Wednesday with lots of sun.

A lightning and thunderstorm passed through Batavia in the 10 o'clock hour, and though things have gotten quieter, there are still a few flashes in the sky now and then.

The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement predicting ongoing lightning and thunder activity throughout the night with possibility of strong wind gusts at time and possibly hail.

Some hail was reported in the county tonight.

Power outages in the county so far tonight have been minimal. There was a report of a wire down and arching in Pavilion, but that doesn't sound like a serious issue.