The storms, however, left the region otherwise unscathed and quickly moved on, meteorologists said.
The storm came ashore from Lake Erie near Westfield and barreled south along the smaller lake and communities south of it. A building in Sherman was hit by lightning, but the storm “was at its worst” from Mayville to Bemus Point and then along the southern shore of Chautauqua Lake, said Bill Hibbert, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Buffalo.
There were several reports of hail across Chautauqua County, from the Chautauqua Institution to Jamestown and Falconer, particularly from 12:30 to 1 p.m.
Trees and power lines were down in Lakewood, Jamestown and near Panama, with about 400 people without power from about 15 outages as of 3 p.m., according to National Grid’s website.
Otherwise, the storm “sort of skipped right over the city,” he said, referring to Buffalo. “A lot of picnics (got) rained on.”
By midafternoon, the storm had moved east, with no thunderstorm watches or warnings remaining for Western New York.
The weather picture for the week is looking positive.
The forecast calls for generally drier conditions with more sunshine, according to meteorologist Aaron Reynolds.
After some clouds and a slight chance of rain today, with highs in the 60s, temperatures will warm up to the upper 70s Wednesday, which will be mostly sunny, with winds of 10 mph and gusts as much as 30 mph.
The temperature will dip back to the upper 60s Thursday but will return to the lower 70s Friday and upper 70s Saturday.
There’s a chance of showers again on Sunday.
email: jepstein@buffnews.com