weather

Since Billie and I are missing all the snow Genesee County is getting, how about sending us your snow pictures. E-mail weather-related pictures to howard@thebatavian.com and we'll post the best of them.

From six to nine inches of lake effect snow are expected to fall on portions of Genesee County today and a lake effect snow warning has been issued through 7 p.m.

The National Weather Services says the heaviest snow will fall south of, and along a line between, Corfu and Le Roy, meaning the bulk of the storm should stay south of Batavia.

Winds will be 15 ot 30 mph, producing blowing and drifting snow. Visibility will be as low as a quarter of a mile at times.

Those of you who think you should look into your back yard this time of year and see a blanket of white should get your wish by Wednesday morning.

A lake effect snow advisory is in effect from 4 p.m., Tuesday, through 1 a.m., Wednesday.

An inch is expected to fall Tuesday evening, followed by two to four inches Tuesday evening. Storm totals could reach five inches.

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

Visibility will be reduced to a quarter of a mile at time.

A weather advisory has been issued for tonight, starting at 9 p.m. through 11 a.m. Monday, with a freezing drizzle potentially making travel difficult.

Accumulations of up to a 10th of an inch are expected.

Any untreated roadways could mean hazardous driving conditions.

The National Weather Service is warning of a freezing drizzle tonight leading to hazardous driving conditions.

Caution is recommended on elevated roadways and bridges where colder air may result in slick spots.

Brandon Betances pushes his 6-year-old daughter Laura down the hill at Centennial Park late this afternoon in the midst of a short lake effect snowfall.

Continued lake effect snow is in the forecast tonight through Friday.

As predicted, Batavia was hit with at least six inches of snow overnight. It made for a busy night for emergency dispatchers with several downed power lines and some motor-vehicle accidents.

Above, Wendy Fisher shovels snow from the driveway of her Richmond Avenue home.

Monet Thomas walking her dogs on North Street.

Dave Meyer blowing snow on Ross Street.

Emergency responders have been busy throughout the night and throughout the county with weather-related calls.

There have been wires down, cars off the roadways and accidents.

We don't have all the details on all of those incidents.

We can tell you that more than 700 National Grid customers are without power in more than a dozen different locations in Genesee County.

The largest outage is from Brookville Road down to Attica with 374 customers without power. No ETA on power restoration.

South of South Main Street Road, just west of Wortendyke Road is another outage with 89 customers affected. Power should be restored by 6:30 a.m.

Off Maple Road, Alabama, 68 customers affected. Power should be restored by 4:30 a.m.

Outages effecting about 35 customers each are reported off of Gulf Road, Le Roy, County Line Road, Darien, Harlow Road, Darien and just west of Darien Center.

There are also nine customers in Linden without power and 12 just west of Morganville.

There are two small outages reported in the city and another half-dozen or so small ones sprinkled throughout the county.

One large band of snow passed over the county in the 2 a.m. hour and radar shows another one heading our way in a couple of hours.

UPDATE 7:06 a.m.: There remains small, isolated power outages scattered all over the county. The two largest effects 200 customes on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation and 76 customers in Pavilion, just north of Route 20 in the South Street Road area. The National Weather Service reports that the heavy wet snow has passed through the area and is predicting patchy light snow the rest of the day. Caution is advised while traveling because of numerous low hanging and downed wires.

Up to six inches of snow could fall on Genesee County when a new storm front arrives in the region some time early Tuesday evening, according to the National Weather Service.

A winter storm watch has been issue and remains in effect until early Wednesday evening.

Forecasters say there is still some doubt as to the exact track of the storm.

Hazards include heavy snow mixed with sleet and freezing rain at times.

UPDATE 3:55 p.m.: The NWS has upgraded this event to a winter storm warning. Snow accumlations are predicted to be 6-12 inches. This will be a prolonged event that will effect driving conditions.

Wind and snow appear to be heading toward Genesee County.

A weather advisory has been issued from noon Saturday to 1 a.m., Sunday.

There is a risk of blowing snow with temperatures turning sharply downward Saturday night with lows of 15 to 20 degrees.

Storm totals of one to three inches are expected with winds from the northwest of 20 to 30 mph.

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

An arctic cold front could bring a blast of snow Saturday afternoon with scattered showers Saturday night.

A house at 8949 Clipnock Road, Stafford, has reportedly had its roof blown off.

The residence is being evacuated.

Also, about 520 National Grid customers are without power in an area starting just north of the city and in a triangle that stretches up to Elba. No ETA for power restoration.

There are also small power outages in Basom, Alabama, East Oakfield and Darien.

UPDATE 3:14 a.m.: Dispatchers are now saying the roof is "separating from the residence."

In about four hours, or a little later, expect thundershowers and strong winds.

The National Weather Service has issued a weather advisory for 10 p.m. through midnight.

A deepening lower pressure system is lifting across the upper Great Lakes tonight and pushing an energetic cold front through WNY, according to the NWS. The front will likely be accompanied by a squall line of heavy showers and some possibly strong thunderstorms. Damaging wind gusts are possible.

Wind gusts could reach 50 mph.

UPDATE 9:31 p.m.: The weather service has upgraded the storm outlook to a thunderstorm watch, in effect until 1 a.m.

UPDATE 10:07 p.m.: The NWS just issued a thunderstorm warning. Gusts up to 60 mph. Below is the latest radar image of the incoming storm.

Sustained winds up to 30 mph with gusts of 60 mph are predicted for Sunday night in Genesee County.

A high wind warning has been issued for 7 p.m. through 1 p.m., Monday.

Linda Delecki, a Buffalo resident, came out from her job at Advanced Imaging in City Centre, and exclaimed, "Isn't the snow beautiful?" She then pulled out her camera phone and took a picture of her car before wiping away the snow with a friend's brush.

Just as the weatherman predicted, we're getting snow tonight and the roads are slick.

Below, a picture of St. James.

Rapidly dropping temperatures following rain could mean snow and black ice conditions on roadways tonight, the National Weather Service said in an advisory.

It's possible more than an inch of snow will fall on Batavia overnight.

Untreated roadways and sidewalks could be particularly slick during the night and into the morning. Bridges and overpasses could be susceptible to icing.

Caution is advised while driving.

NOTE: We started this post this morning and have been updating. For the remainder of the wind storm, we will anchor it at the top of the home page and keep adding to it. Other news that might come in the rest of the day will appear below this post.

Trees and power lines have come down at some spots in Genesee County this morning due to high winds.

Traffic is being shut down at Route 77 and Bloomingdale Road, Alabama, because of power lines down in the area of 1031 Ledge Road.

National Grid reports power outages East Oakfield, Elba, Batavia and Indian Falls. The largest outage is East Oakfield, over an area stretching well into Orleans County and effecting 135 customers. The ETA for power restoration is 10:45 a.m.

We are in the midst of a high wind warning by the National Weather Service with winds of 30 to 40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph predicted until 5 p.m.

UPDATE 9:06 a.m.: The lines down on Ledge were Verizon lines, not power. The Alabama fire crew has been able to get the poles moved and the lines out of the road. The roadway is being reopened and Alabama is back in service.

UPDATE(S) 10:11 a.m. (by Billie): Tree reported down across both lanes of Redfield Parkway.

UPDATE 11:44 a.m.: There is a electrical line(s) down near 21 Redfield Parkway. City fire just arrived on scene and National Grid is contacted. One line is cable line.

UPDATE 10:53 p.m.: A firefighter confirmed it is a cable line down.

UPDATE 11:17 a.m.: A power line is tangled up in a tree branch and hanging over the roadway on Ellicott Street, the area between the railroad underpass. National Grid is notified and law enforcement is on scene. Redfield Parkway is reopened.

UPDATE 11:26 a.m.: A cable line is down at 6 Lehigh Ave.

UPDATE 11:42 a.m.: An unknown type wire is down at Warboys and Merrill roads, Byron. An awning fell on a house at 13 Wood St. in the city. A tree branch fell on a car on Meadville Road, Alabama -- no injuries but there's broken glass.

UPDATE: Here's photos from the downed tree earlier on Redfield Parkway.

UPDATE12:02 p.m.: Wires are hanging off a house and into the roadway at 2631 School St. in East Pembroke. The location is between East Avenue and Reed Road.

UPDATE 12:05 p.m.: Fire police are called in East Pembroke to close traffic at East Avenue and Route 5 and at School Street and Reed Road. There's also a tree in the road. National Grid has been notified.

UPDATE 12:13 p.m.: There's "a big mess" of tree branches in the roadway at Stegman and Slusher roads in East Pembroke. There's a tree down and an injured animal reported at 6827 Knowlesville Road in Alabama.

UPDATE 12:21 p.m.: The injured animal on Knowlesville Road has been extricated and the Alabama assignment is back in service. At the Wood Street incident, power lines are also down.

UPDATE 12:54 p.m.: A live power line fell on the lawn at 10840 Warner Road in Darien. At 2700 Attica Road in Alexander, a large willow tree branch is hanging over the roadway. A tree fell onto a house at 36 Redfield Parkway in the city.

UPDATE 1 p.m.: A big tree is reportedly down in the roadway on Meadville Road, north of Owen Road, on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation.

UPDATE 1:37 p.m.: Two more pictures from Redfield Parkway. City crews have actually had to handle today five downed trees or large branches on Redfield today. They've been making quick work of them.

UPDATE 1:41 p.m.: There is a power outage on the Tonawanda Indian Reservatation affecting 201 customers. In East Bethany, 252 customers are without power, and in Bergen, 56. In East Bethany and Bergen, power should be restored by 3 p.m. Crews are assessing the situation in Basom.

UPDATE 2 p.m.: A tree has reportedly fallen on a house at 50 Ellicott Ave. in the city. Wires may also have fallen.

UPDATE 2:11 p.m.: Lear Road in the Town of Batavia is completely blocked due to downed trees and power lines. DPW is on scene. Also, Le Roy police received a complaint that someone has on open burn going at 84 Myrtle St. Le Roy PD is on scene.

Expect strong winds in Genesee County tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

The forecast is for winds of 30 to 40 mph and gusts up to 60 mph, so the weather service has issued a strong wind warning for 11 p.m. through 5 p.m., Friday.

The NWS warns that winds of this magnitude may bring down trees and power lines resulting in scattered power outages. The winds may also make travel difficult for high profile vehicles.

Winds from the southwest of 25 to 35 mph are forecast for Saturday between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Gusts could reach 55 mph.

Daytime temperatures are predicted to be around 50 degrees with chance of rain.

A heat advisory has been issued for this afternoon with a predicted heat index topping 100 degrees.

The advisory is in effect from noon until 6 p.m.

The National Weather Service warns that if proper precautions are not taken, heat exhaustion and other heat-related symptoms could develop in those exposed to hot and humid conditions. The very young and the elderly are particularly susceptible.

Drink plenty of water. Frequent breaks in a cool area are recommended.

Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool area and you should call 9-1-1.

A severe thunderstorm warning for Genesee County and other parts of Western New York is in effect until 3 p.m.

According to the National Weather Service in Buffalo, Doplar Radar shows a line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing quarter-size hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. These storms were located along a line extending from five miles north of Youngstown to 20 miles west of Lewiston, moving east at 50 mph.

In Genesee County, Oakfield is mentioned in particular.

For the remainder of the day, the weather service predicts a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 78. West wind around 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts of less than a 10th of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight, it looks like showers and thunderstorms before midnight, then a chance of showers. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Patchy fog after 3 a.m. Low around 68. West wind 7 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100 percent. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.