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Showers bring flooding to region, down power lines and close roads

Era photo by Francie Long Riverside Drive in Limestone, N.Y., became a river Wednesday because of the heavy rainfall, as did many low-lying areas in the region.

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The saying goes that April showers bring May flowers, but on Wednesday, February showers brought flooding, downed power lines and road closures.

The storm that passed through Smethport early Wednesday morning caused a power outage in the entire borough and parts of Keating Township that lasted for almost three hours.

According to a spokesman for the Smethport Borough Electric Department, the two main lines that are located on Forest Avenue and part of the main primary feed were knocked down at about 4:30 a.m., shutting off electricity and cable service. A department crew had power restored at approximately 7:20 a.m.

Due to the power interruption, the Smethport Area School District operated on a two-hour delay.

In a separate incident a short time later, the electric department and fire departments responded to the report of a transformer fire on East King Street, a call that was not related to the storm.

Smethport Fire Chief Steve Field said the department pumped four flooded basements during the day.

High water also closed the Valley Crossroads, Bordell Crossroads and Galico Crossroads. Township Supervisor Cecil Gallup said Wednesday night that these roads would reopen today if the water recedes sufficiently.

Meanwhile, heavy rains Wednesday morning washed out a section of Pusher Siding Road off Route 49 near Ulysses in Potter County.

The exact nature of the washout was unclear, but Potter County Emergency Services Coordinator Jim Steiner said his understanding was that the road was closed “indefinitely.”

The National Weather Service issued a small stream flood warning for Potter County about midday, and several roads in Roulette were closed due to flooding streams. The flood warning was reduced to a flood watch about 4 p.m.

The Allegheny River rose across the road at Boyer Crossing near the McKean-Potter line about 3 p.m.

According to McKean County Control, the Windfall Road in Eldred Township was also closed due to high water.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also released an advisory warning that the ice on the Allegheny Reservoir is unsafe because of the rain and the reduced river discharge from the Kinzua Dam.

Forest visitors are asked to stay off the ice.

In nearby Limestone, N.Y., Riverside Drive was blocked off because of water over the road. Cattaraugus County Emergency Services representatives said a few roads in the county had been closed during the day because of high water, as “most ditches and drainage areas can’t handle the runoff.”

Late Wednesday, the rain had begun to freeze, causing the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather advisory until 7 a.m. today. A layer of clear ice between .10 and .20 inch thick is likely today, with a coating of snow on top of it.

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