Strong thunderstorms struck parts of the upper Midwest, Northeast, and southern Ontario, leading to widespread power outages during a heat wave. As reported by authorities and power companies, about 1 million customers were left without electricity from Illinois to New York and extending into Ontario on Friday night.
The severe weather brought down power lines, which were cited as the primary cause of the outages. This, combined with extreme heat, prompted urgent safety warnings. Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City urged residents without power to use overnight cooling centers due to the potential dangers posed by the outages, even during nighttime.
Con Edison in New York City reported power loss for thousands across the five boroughs and Westchester County. The utility indicated that thunderstorms exacerbated the strain on the power grid amid high temperatures.
New Jersey’s Governor Mikie Sherrill noted that severe storms led to power being cut off in northern and central counties. She advised residents to avoid downed power lines, which also affected several NJ Transit train lines.
Police in Warren, New Jersey, warned that the outage could last a significant amount of time. They mentioned that utility crews were notified, but restoration efforts were hampered by extensive damage.
In eastern Pennsylvania, the borough of Alburtis declared a state of emergency due to significant wind damage from the storms. Local fire departments reported downed trees and power lines and were working to restore electrical service.
DTE Energy and Consumers Energy, Michigan’s major utilities, deployed crews on Friday night to address widespread outages. DTE Energy expected power restoration by the end of Monday for 95% of the affected customers.
In northern Ohio, Hambden and Chardon fire departments responded to numerous emergency calls involving fallen power lines and trees.
Tennessee also experienced outages due to severe storms, according to the EPB utility.
In Ontario, Canada, thousands faced power outages, as reported by Essex Powerlines. Hydro One, another utility in Ontario, indicated that crews were still managing extensive damage from thunderstorms earlier in the week.
John Yoon, a Times reporter based in Seoul, covers breaking and trending news.