Wild Thunderstorms Knock Out Power To Thousands In Western New York

As is pretty routine in Buffalo and Western New York, when the calendar switches from August to September, the region's weather starts to get a little unsettled. Earlier in the day on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the National Weather Service issued a few alerts about storms that would blow into Western and Central New York later in the day on Wednesday, going into the morning hours on Thursday.

The region has been under a series of alerts and warnings, including a severe thunderstorm warning, flash flood alerts, and marine warnings up and down the coasts of Lakes Erie and Ontario. As the day dragged on, the skies remained overcast until around 6 pm when lightning, thunder, and tornadoes started to hit the region.

Several Western New York counties have been hit hard by weather during the day, and it's impacting nearly the entire region. Niagara, Orleans, Erie, Genesee, Ontario, Chautauqua, Monroe, and more are all seeing impacts, and it's not just rain and wind.

Tens of Thousands Without Power Thanks To Storms

The New York State Office of Emergency Management's Homeland Security and Emergency Services department issued an alert that the damage from the severe thunderstorms and unconfirmed tornadoes has knocked power out all over the area, from Erie to Monroe counties.

As of Wednesday night, National Grid is dealing with power outages across Western New York, with nearly 20,000 households without power; New York State Electric & Gas has more than 19,000 households that are dealing with outages, while Rochester Electric & Gas has nearly 22,000 households in the dark.

As the storms subside, crews will be hard at work getting the streets cleared of downed trees and working to get the lights back on for folks.

Things You Can Do To Make Sure You're Safe During A Power Outage

Now, losing electricity is very inconvenient, but it's something you can get through by following a few steps and taking a few precautions. The main thing to remember is that if you see any downed power lines, make sure you don't touch them and report them to the power company immediately.