GOWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Heavy rain, golf-ball-sized hail, and widespread flooding affected parts of Western New York on Tuesday, causing significant property damage and prompting travel advisories across multiple counties.
As severe weather rolls through the region, you can find the updates from the 7 Weather team here.
Below you can find a timeline of weather events that occurred throughout the day on Tuesday and into Wednesday.
Wednesday, April 1, 10:45 a.m.
The Allegany County Sheriff’s Office announced the travel advisory remains in effect throughout the county due to "significant roadway damage."
According to the sheriff's office, roads in the Townships of Caneadea, Hume, Granger, Burns, Grove, and Almond were heavily damaged and several are completely impassable.
The sheriff's office shared several photos of flooding and damage.
Wednesday, April 1, 10 a.m.
Genesee County officials said the county is currently experiencing areas of flooding, resulting in road closures. "Local highway crews are actively monitoring conditions, identifying impacted areas, and closing roads as needed to ensure public safety," a social media post says.
Wednesday, April 1, 9:30 a.m.
East Aurora police said the only road closure that remained in place was Girard Avenue between Riley Street and Whaley Avenue, under the RR viaduct. Police said on Tuesday night, a motorist drove around barricades into the flooded viaduct and water was up over the doors of the vehicle. Village DPW employee Peter “Zach” Calleri assisted the motorist and carried her to safety.
Wednesday, April 1, 8:30 a.m.
The Gowanda Volunteer Fire Department said the storm brought "extensive damage to homes, vehicles, buildings etc." The department said it was working with emergency services regarding storm assessments and asked residents to document and photograph all of their damage. In addition, all the roads were open, and DPW crews would be out cleaning up debris.
Tuesday, March 31, 11 p.m.
We spoke to residents in Gowanda who dealt with smashed vehicles, damaged homes, and impassable roads as the severe weather rolled through the region.
Ray Poland was surprised to see golf ball-sized hail on his way home. The storm severely damaged his Camaro, a car that had been given to him by his late brother.
"When I got home, I found out that as I pulled in my Camaro, the back window was smashed in completely," Poland said. "The front windshield was completely smashed. The front hood has hundreds and hundreds of dimples all over it."
The damage extended to his home, where the vinyl siding and some windows were battered by the hail.
Marissa Scritchfield, who lives a few miles from Poland, also had her vehicle damaged. She was at home with her husband and younger children when the storm hit.
"I was up in my son's room putting away his laundry and all of a sudden it got really, really dark and just started pounding really loud," Scritchfield said. "I yelled to my husband downstairs and I said, 'What is that?' He goes, 'It's hailing', and I said, 'You're kidding me.'"
WATCH: Heavy rain, hail, flooding and more impact portions of Western New York
Tuesday, March 31, 10 p.m.
The Allegany County Sheriff's Office announced a State of Emergency was declared for the county.
"Effective March 31, 2026, at 9:30 p.m., W. Brooke Harris, Chairman of the Board of Legislators, declared a State of Emergency for Allegany County. This Declaration was made after consultation with and recommendations from Allegany County Sheriff Scott Cicirello, Director of the Office of Emergency Management Scott Golden, and Superintendent of Public Works Tom Windus. This local State of Emergency was declared because of severe weather occurring in the County of Allegany, including heavy rain causing widespread flooding, hazardous travel, and multiple road closures. These dangerous conditions are expected to continue through the night and the next several days, which have already and may continue to cause widespread damage and threaten public safety."
Tuesday, March 31, 8:30 p.m.
The East Aurora Police Department issued a travel advisory for the Town of Aurora and the Village of East Aurora.
The following photo shows a car stuck in a flooded train overpass on Girard Avenue near Whaley Avenue in East Aurora.
The West Seneca Police Department announced that numerous roads were flooded and impassable, including parts of Route 400, due to heavy rainfall. Police advised motorists not to drive through standing water and avoid unnecessary travel.
Tuesday, March 31, 7:00 p.m.
The Allegany County Sheriff's Office issued a travel advisory for Allegany County.
"Heavy rain is causing widespread flooding, hazardous travel conditions, and multiple road closures across the area. These dangerous conditions are expected to continue through the night and into the next several days."
Tuesday, March 31, 5:10 p.m.
The Gowanda Central School District announced it would be closed on Wednesday, April 1, due to extreme weather conditions impacting the region.
"Gowanda Central School District will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, April 1, due to the extreme weather conditions impacting our region. This closure allows our facilities team to address weather-related damage and ensures that our buildings are fully inspected and safe for the return of our students and staff. Please note that all after-school and evening activities for tomorrow are also cancelled to keep everyone off the roads and out of harm's way."
Tuesday, March 31, 4:15 p.m.
The Gowanda Central School District lifted the shelter-in-place. The district said all students and staff were safe, that conditions were safe and they were transitioning to an orderly student dismissal.
Tuesday, March 31, 3:55 p.m.
The Gowanda Central School District implemented a complete shelter-in-place for all district buildings, including all students, staff, athletics teams, and extracurricular activities due to severe weather.
Below is video from viewers in Gowanda and Lawtons.
Tuesday, March 31, 3:45 p.m.
A tornado warning was issued for northern Cattaraugus County and northwestern Allegany County until 4:15 p.m.
