High winds cause power outages, other challenges

Thousands of people in Western New York, most in Erie County, found themselves without power Wednesday morning due to high winds.

As of 10:30 p.m., 21,648 customers were without power according to National Grid and NYSEG. Here's the county-by-county breakdown:

National Grid:
Allegany 86
Cattaraugus 624
Chautauqua 47
Erie 555
Genesee 932
Niagara 1,093
Orleans 781
Wyoming 1,404
Total: 5,522

NYSEG:
Allegany 113
Cattaraugus 643
Chautauqua 42
Erie 14,177
Niagara 164
Wyoming 987
Total: 16,126

One viewer caught sparking power lines on camera early Wednesday morning.

Winds were also to blame for this tree falling on a home in the Village of Hamburg.

The winds had also caused several flight delays at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport Thursday morning.

Fire crews were forced to battle the winds during a Wednesday morning fire in Buffalo. 

Buffalo Fire Chief tells me the wind caused some problems for firefighters while they put out this house fire at Shirley and Suffolk. Two firefighters were treated on scene with minor injuries. Cause of the fire is being investigated. @WKBW pic.twitter.com/hQTwwtrLWM

— David "BNL" (@PhotogWKBW) April 4, 2018

High winds are expected to persist through the day on Thursday. You can check the latest Most Accurate Forecast from the WKBW weather team here.

See photos of wind damage around the region:

GALLERY: High winds cause damage across WNY