Lockport Union-Sun & Journal — Weather, weather, everywhere.

Rain fell in buckets across the Niagara Frontier Saturday, taking down tree limbs, interrupting two major festivals in the area and causing a flooded basement at Niagara Falls City Hall.

"The first batch of rain and thunderstorms came in the overnight hours," Meteorologist Tom Paone of the National Weather Service Buffalo said. "But as far as damaging stuff with higher winds, it really happened around the daybreak and mid-morning hours."

City crews were out in full force Saturday morning, cleaning up after the squall line of storms barreled through the area.

Deputy Director of the Department of Public Works John Caso said about 10 to 12 calls were reported in the aftermath of the heavy rain and high winds, the majority of which were for downed tree limbs. He said phone lines were also knocked out in some places, but power outages weren't reported.

The basement at city hall did flood, he said, which crews were brought in to clean up as well. The rain fall amount was too much for the sewer line to handle, he said.

"We had some flooding at city hall," he said. "We also addressed that today. With the heavy downpours, it's a situation that the line can't handle that flow of water. We went into the basement and had to send some guys in there to clean it up."

Lewiston also suffered under the powerful storms, just as festivities were getting ready for the second day of the Lewiston Kiwanis Peach Festival.

Many of the early morning festivities were under a dark cloud as organizers wondered what could go on and what needed to be cancelled. Jerry Wolfgang, who is helping organize the event, said he almost had to put an end to the parade before it started, but a favorable radar picture showed the heavy rains leaving the area before its 11 a.m. start.

"I was worried," Wolfgang said. "I thought this would be the first parade I'd ever have to cancel. From 8 to 10 a.m. we were under really heavy rain. But we were able to go."

He said 79 of the parade's 129 registered units participated, including nine of the 10 registered bands.

The annual 1K fun walk, which accompanies a 5K run every year, wasn't so lucky though. With the rains still coming down, organizers allowed the runners to go but held back the walkers.

The rough weather has left the area, for the most part, as today appears to be a much drier day. Paone, at the weather service, said the temperature today should top out around 70 degrees and while the threat of thunderstorms will be there, the wallop they'll pack won't be the same as Saturday.

"(Today) will be a little bit better," he said. "It'll be a little on the cool side, with the possibility of some isolated showers or thunderstorms still there, especially in afternoon. The risk is still going to be there, but without the high winds we saw (Saturday). It'll actually feel like a nice day."

Big Red Number 79 Number of Peach Festival parade's 129 registered units that weathered through S