New York State buffeted with severe winds on Sunday causing thousands of power outages throughout the state. As of Monday, March 7 at 11:44 a.m., more than 14,750 customers of electric utilities were without power all over the state.

Cities affected by the winds that ranged from as much as 72 mph to as low as 40 mph on Sunday included:

• Niagara Falls 62 mph
• Medina 57 mph
• Olcott 55 mph
• Buffalo 53 mph
• Rochester 47 mph

More than 7,300 customers of Rochester Gas & Electric Corp were without power as of 9:45 a.m. on Monday.

At the worst of the outage, more than 20,000 RG&E customers were without power on Sunday due to the severe winds. The bulk of those that were without power as of this morning are in Henrietta (more than 2,700), Greece (more than 1,000), Irondequoit (more than 680) and Brighton (more than 600).

According to RG&E’s website, power is expected to be restored by midnight tonight at most locations.

An update at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday reported that downed power lines and trees caused residents of Monroe County to fall into darkness. Residents were urged to show caution on roadways, bike paths, and walkways, warned the Monroe County Executive.

According to Monroe County officials, there are still multiple intersections without operating traffic lights.

Wind gusts of up to 70 mph continued through the afternoon and more trees, structures, and power lines were reported damaged.

County authorities claimed that emergency crews would clear roadways after utility companies “make conditions safe.”

Rochester Gas and Electric admitted that more than 22,200 of its customers were without power as of 3 p.m. on Sunday.

A high wind advisory was issued for all of western and north-central New York, according to the National Weather Service in Buffalo.

An early morning tweet from the National Weather Service in Buffalo on Sunday forecasted wind gusts could reach up to 60 mph from Buffalo to Rochester.

A later tweet claimed that wind gusts in Rochester had peaked at 67 mph.

County officials cautioned residents to prepare for damaging southwest wind gust that could exceed 70 mph.

Sizzling hot weather, severe summer storms, record breaking wind, snowstorms, earthquakes, tornadoes have caused power outages throughout the United States every year. To protect your family from having to experience a night of darkness due to power outages caused by catastrophic weather you should consider purchasing a standalone generator.

APElectric has a large in stock inventory of generators most of which automatically turn on when electric utilities experience power cutoffs. The company offers generators from some of the most popular generator manufacturers including Cummins, Westinghouse, Kohler, Briggs & Stratton, Generac, and Guardian. The website also includes a generator sizing calculator and offers information on how to select the proper generator for your situation.