Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Let the cleanup begin. And for many, the cleanup will be happening with no power as thousands remain in the dark Monday morning following a violent wind storm Sunday.
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As promised, Mother Nature delivered a fierce line of wind across the Buffalo and Western New York region Sunday. By mid-afternoon, gusts were hurricane force and nearing 70 mph along the Buffalo waterfront and at the airport and the wind continued to punish the region overnight.
Both National Grid and NYSEG were on alert and pressed into action across the region as tens of thousands were without power at times. The power restoration will likely last well into the daytime Monday and beyond, depending on the severity of the outage
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Extreme winds battered the region, targeting some familiar trouble spots like the eastern end of Lake Erie at Hoak's Restaurant in Hamburg where the waves could be seen crashing into the parking lot and street.
The flooding along the lakeshore was the result of a record Lake Erie seiche in which the water of the lake rushes to one end, rising rapidly and overflowing its banks. The seiche caused an eleven foot rise in the lake water level according to National Weather Service meteorologist Kirk Apfel. "Just to give some perspective, eight foot is flood stage. Once you start getting over eight you start to having problems. At eleven you have a lot of problems," Apfel tells WBEN.
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In Buffalo, water flooded a section of the Old First Ward neighborhood after the Lake Erie water level surged by several feet, pushing water up the Buffalo River and flooding streets and homes.
Across the city of Buffalo and many suburbs in Erie County, large trees were down in yards and across driveways and streets.
City of Buffalo forestry crews responded to approximately 55 tree calls as of late Sunday night. Half of the calls involved whole trees that were down. City Department of Publlic Works crews say that seven traffic signals remain out in different parts of the city. Officials say these intersections should be treated as four way stops for motorists. Officials also say the high winds brought down five street lights. Crews say those areas where the lights came down have been made safe.
The high lake level and extreme winds caused flooding at the popular Canalside district where the water could be seen flooding the pedestrian bridge and boardwalk.
Route 5 was forced to close between Route 179 and Ridge Road late Sunday but has since reopened to traffic.
The winds were expected to remain brisk Monday but subside substantially from the Sunday gales. Temperatures will be substantially colder with a chance for lake effect flurries.