ALBANY — A powerful storm battered the Capital Region Tuesday, causing record rainfall, power outages at more than 18,000 homes and businesses, flooding and road closings.

A day of downpours and strong winds hit the Capital Region and Catskill Mountains hard, according to the National Weather Service in Albany, which issued a tornado watch, flash flood warnings and a wind advisory for the upstate area for through Tuesday evening. Rain and wind knocked out 3,394 electricity customers in Albany County, 6,998 in Saratoga County, 2,765 in Rensselaer County and 5,260 in Schenectady County, according to National Grid.

By 8 p.m., there were no reports of tornadoes, but the storm had produced 3.05 inches of rain at Albany International Airport, or more than double the date's previous record of 1.27 inches set in 1987, according to the weather service. Tannersville in Greene County received 6.7 inches of rainfall by dusk, the most of any community, meteorologist Brian Montgomery said.

"A squall line embedded with extreme rainfall rates pushed across the region," Montgomery said. "The thunderstorms went over some locations repeatedly."

Rainfall surpassed 2 inches in most of Albany County by 6:45 p.m. Flooding led authorities to close portions of Western Avenue near Stuyvesant Plaza, Route 7 near Consaul Road in Schenectady, Central Avenue near the Albany and Colonie border and other streets. An additional 1 to 2 inches was expected before the storm was expected to move out of the region early Wednesday.

Wind gusts reached 40 mph at the Albany airport. Trees buckled and limbs fell on power lines.

The weather service issued flash flood warnings for all of Albany County and the Windham and Prattsville areas, which are still rebuilding from last year's devastating Tropical Storm Irene. Greene County Sheriff Greg Seeley said Tuesday night that he did not expect significant flooding because the water levels in the area were low prior to the storm.

The foul weather caused several cancellations in the region. After-school and evening activities were canceled at Blue Creek Elementary and Shaker High School due to a power outage.

In Albany, a large tree fell on a home on Edgecomb Street and damaged the roof of the first-floor porch and all the house's front windows.

Homeowner Donald Nardacci said he had been asking the city for the past two years to remove the tree because it was rotted through. The tree grew in the area between the sidewalk and the street. The forestry crew was removing the remains of the tree.

dyusko@timesunion.com • 518-454-5353 • @DAYusko