Wind gusts more than 70 miles per hour hit their peak midday in Chautauqua County, forcing neighbors in and knocking power out.
"It feels like it's taking you away and you gotta hold on to something so you don't fly away," explained Jose Perez of Dunkirk.
Streetlights were out in both Dunkirk and Fredonia for most of the day.
Several uprooted trees knocked down power lines in those communities including on Second Street where Perez lives.
Neighbors sent 7 News video from shortly after it happened.
Video from Second St. in Dunkirk where trees knocked down power lines and started a small fire. @WKBW pic.twitter.com/0lYrKsuY04
— Taylor Epps (@taylor_epps_) January 9, 2024
"I saw sparks, I was shocked, I've been living here for many years, but I've never seen something like that," said Perez.
Power companies have been busy all day trying to restore power to areas like this. Fire companies have answered 60+ calls assisting with rollovers.
For information on outages with National Grid, click here. For information on outages with NYSEG, click here.
