Chautauqua County has been getting pummeled with very gusty winds since Sunday afternoon, and there’s more on the way. Numerous trees and power lines were toppled countywide, causing a lot of damage. In the Dunkirk-Fredonia area, some of the damage included a large tree down on wires in the area of Central Avenue and Albany Avenue, as well as an uprooted tree leaning towards a house in Fredonia. In Jamestown, the winds partially blew a roof off a building at the corner of East 2nd Street in Institute Street. According to the National Weather Service in Buffalo, the strongest gusts have been reported in the northern end of the county near the Lake Erie shoreline. Meteorologist Heather Kenyon says there were multiple gusts in excess of 60 MPH, with one at the Dunkirk Airport that came close to hurricane force…
Heather Kenyon: 72 MPH gust at the Dunkirk Airport
In an update later Monday morning, the National Weather Service announced that there was a gust that did reach hurricane force — 74 MPH in Forestville at about 10:45 PM. Meanwhile, the high wind warning that has been in effect for Chautauqua and southern Erie counties has been downgraded to a wind advisory, which runs until 8:00 AM Tuesday. Kenyon says a strong cold front will cause temperatures to rapidly drop from the upper 50s to around 20 degrees. She says there will be more gusty winds on the other side of that front, but not quite as strong compared to Sunday night…..