Severe thunderstorms swept through the upper Midwest, Northeast, and southern Ontario, causing widespread power outages as the region faced intense heat. Authorities and utility companies reported significant disruptions late Friday.
According to PowerOutage.com, approximately 1 million customers lost electricity, spanning from Illinois to New York and into Ontario. Many outages resulted from downed power lines.
The combination of high temperatures and power outages led to urgent safety warnings. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani advised residents without power to seek refuge in city-provided cooling centers, noting the dangers even during the night. Con Edison attributed outages affecting thousands in New York City and Westchester County to thunderstorms, intensifying pressure on the grid due to sustained heat.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill reported electricity disruptions in the state’s northern and central counties, urging caution around downed power lines. The storms also caused train service disruptions, according to NJ Transit. Police in Warren Township, New Jersey, warned residents of potentially prolonged outages due to widespread damage, with utility crews alerted but expecting extended restoration times.
In eastern Pennsylvania, Alburtis declared a state of emergency following severe wind damage, including downed trees and power lines. Crews were working to restore power, as the local fire department communicated via social media.
Michigan’s major utilities, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, deployed crews Friday night to address outages. DTE Energy stated power restoration was anticipated by the end of Monday for 95% of affected customers.
In northern Ohio, fire departments in Hambden and Chardon faced numerous emergency calls concerning downed lines and trees.
Tennessee also experienced significant outages as reported by utility EPB on its website. Thunderstorms in Ontario disrupted power for countless customers, with Essex Powerlines and Hydro One addressing substantial damage.
John Yoon, a journalist based in Seoul, covers breaking news, including reports on ongoing storm impacts.
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