BUFFALO, N.Y. — Thousands of people are still without power in Western New York due to high winds.
While the high wind warning issued earlier this week as expired, there is a Winter Weather Advisory in effect for southern Erie, Wyoming, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties until 7 p.m. Thursday for 3 to 5 inches, mainly for the higher elevations east of Lake Erie. Also gusty winds to 50 mph may produce blowing snow that could further reduce visibilities.
As of 12pm Thursday, there are still more than 6,000 WNYers without power as a result of Tuesday's wind storm.
National Grid's website indicates there are still 3,163 customers without power. The majority of their outages are in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties.
There are currently 3,187 NYSEG customers without power throughout WNY, but the majority of their outages are scattered throughout Erie County.
While crews continue to work, restoration times vary and is dependent on current weather conditions. An upcoming wind event could hamper those efforts and possibly cause more outages.
A High Wind Watch has been issued for all of Western New York from Friday evening through late Saturday night. Another strong area of low pressure will pass by to our west, which will help generate strong winds Friday night and especially on Saturday. Wind gusts could exceed gust to 60 to 65 mph during the day Saturday.
PHOTOS: High winds cause damage across WNY
National Grid spokesman, David Bertola, says the company has its own crews and also contracted crews at various points from Dunkirk to Batavia and places in between.
"What we will do is we play the waiting game. We wait and see where the outages might be happening, and then we deploy. We have about a dozen different barns that are located across Western New York. Our crews will be stationed there and in other places," Bertola said.
Winds are forecasted to come from the southeast — a direction different than what we're used to — so that could topple trees, which in turn, can take down power lines.
"The ground is not frozen. The ground is soft. The roots on the trees that are currently in the ground are not as firm as what you would like, so when the wind does come through, you may see the trees move a little bit more. Depending on the condition of that tree, how strong the wind is in that area, that's when we could see trees that start to come down," National Grid spokesman, Ken Kujawa, said.
National Grid is reminding people to assume all downed wires are 'live' wires with electricity flowing through them. Do not touch them. Instead, contact National Grid so their crews can take care of it. Also, don't assume National Grid is aware of your power outage. You can call them or go online to notify them of your outage.
At a news conference Monday, City of Buffalo DPW commissioner, Nate Marton, reminded residents to contact 311 if they see downed trees, downed signs, or debris in the roads. He said to call 911 if you see downed wires.
Marton said his crews will be out monitoring and assessing damage across Buffalo.