thunderstorm

From the National Weather Service:

At 8:32 p.m. a Special Weather Statement of Hazardous Weather Conditions was issued by the National Weather Service Office in Buffalo.

A line of scattered thurnderstorms will affect Genesee County and other localities. Radar indicated thunderstorms were located along a line extending from near Point Breeze to near Varysburg.

Movement was south at 20 mph. Winds in excess of 30 mph are possible with these storms, along with brief torrential downpours and frequent lightning.

Locations impacted include Batavia, Attica and Byron. This includes Interstate 90 between exits 48 and 47.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms, and may cause localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

Frequent cloud-to-ground lightning is occurring with these storms. Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe shelter inside a building or vehicle.

Trees and power lines are down due to a line of thunderstorms that swept through Genesee County early this morning.

As of 9 a.m., National Grid has reported hundreds of customers affected from the power outages in Le Roy, Pavilion and Attica. There are also scattered outages in other areas affecting less than 10 customers each.

Law enforcement advises motorists to use caution because debris could still be blocking some roads.

(Storm damage on North Street in Le Roy. Photo taken by Lucie Griffis.)

Gilbert Street at the corner of West Main Street in Le Roy is closed due to power lines down across the street. According to Tom Wood, 2nd assistant chief for Le Roy Fire Department, three power lines are down. Residents are waiting for National Grid crews to restore their power.

Pictured below a tree down on South Jackson Street, Batavia.

A severe thunderstorm pounded Batavia and other parts of the county this morning, according to the Daily News. Lightning strikes hit hard and may have caused at least three house fires in Alabama, Stafford and Byron.

Several fire departments responded to reports of a fire at 2634 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road in Alabama around 8:30am. East Pembroke Fire Chief Bob Yungfleisch told The Batavian that the fire was contained to the laundry room and part of a back room that was in the process of being remodeled. While lightning was the cause of the fire, no bolts actually struck the home, he said. Instead, lightning struck outside of the house causing a power surge that shorted an electrical line running to an inside wall. Two children were home at the time, though no one was hurt.

"The fire was contained within about 20 minutes," said Yungfleisch. "There was damage from the fire, but nothing was destroyed, nothing that can't be fixed."

Yungfleisch estimated repairs at about $5,000, though they could be less, he said.

The Batavian has calls in to the other departments to find out more information about the fires in Stafford and Byron, neither of which were believed to have been serious, according to emergency personnel. We will relay any more information as it becomes available.

The Daily News also reports that LeRoy's Village Hall was without power for a spell this morning. The Batavian heard reports, too, that the campus of Genesee Community College was also without power for a time this morning.