A tornado watch issued for all of Western New York has been lifted, the National Weather Service in Buffalo announced shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday.Â
The tornado watch, which is one step below the more serious tornado warning, was announced at 3 p.m. and had been in effect for Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties.
"Basically, all the storms have moved east, and there's no longer a potential for that to occur," said Aaron Reynolds, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service at Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga.
Heavy thunderstorms, along with high winds and other severe weather, were reported throughout the region.
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"We had hail in some areas, up to tennis ball size, and then a lot of quarter-inch hail. We also had trees down and wires down," Reynolds said.Â
The Niagara County Sheriff's Office announced that Quaker Road between Townline Road and West Somerset Road in the Town of Somerset was closed because of a downed power pole across the roadway.
There were several other damage reports that resulted from the weather. Reynolds said a majority came from the Genesee Valley and eastward.
He explained that a strong cold front from the west collided with the hot and humid air mass in the area, producing storms that had the potential to "grow large enough and strong enough" to possibly form a tornado, which is why a tornado watch was issued.