Gusty Winds Topple Numerous Trees, Power Lines Across County
6/19/2026 7:07:50 AM
By Greg Larson, News Director
An unusual high wind event for this time of year brought down numerous trees and power lines, knocking out power for thousands of Chautauqua County residents on Thursday. Meteorologist Steve Welch with the National Weather Service in Buffalo says a strong area of low pressure took a "wintertime-type" track. He says while Thursday's winds weren't as strong as prior winter systems that have hit Western New York, more trees fell due to the fact that many of them are fully leafed out...
Steve Welch: wind gusts generally 50-55 MPH
The highest reported gust in the region was 57 MPH in Buffalo. Fredonia had the highest gust in Chautauqua County at 53 MPH. Welch says in addition to power lines being taken down, there were also scattered reports of trees down on structures...
Steve Welch: trees down on structures
One of those reports was a tree down on a house in Cherry Creek. As of early Friday morning, nearly 1,600 National Grid customers and 80 NYSEG customers in Chautauqua County were without power.
