Wind gusts as high as 79 mph on Friday in Western New York knocked out power for thousands of people and created whiteout conditions in many areas. However, New York State Electric & Gas reported its website had crashed early Friday afternoon because of heavy traffic to the site. Noting widespread driving bans in Western New York, the state police's O’Callaghan implored motorists to stay off the roads. The Weather Service also reported "zero visibility" at the airport shortly after noon Friday. He also repeated concerns about flooding along the shoreline in Evans, Hamburg, Buffalo and along the Niagara River up to Niagara Falls.
