The epic NYC heatwave is taking a toll on the power grid, as Con Edison reported more than 80,000 customers across the five boroughs had lost power on Thursday and early Friday morning due to weather-related equipment failures.
The mercury soared up to 100 degrees in Central Park on Thursday, tying a 60-year-old record, but the humidity made it feel more like 110 to 115 degrees. New Yorkers did what they normally do during a heatwave: turn their air conditioners on, by the millions. They will continue to do so today, with temperatures again expected to either flirt with or soar above 100 degrees; as of 9 a.m., temperatures had already reached 89 degrees.
Despite the urging of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and others to cut back power usage, the increased strain on the power grid led to problems for Con Edison and its customers.
As of 2 a.m. Friday morning, Con Edison reported that it was working to restore power to more than 22,000 customers left in the dark. The outages are scattered throughout Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. The utility giant said it had already restored power to more than 60,000 customers who experienced outages Thursday and Friday.
The causes of the outages were largely classified on Con Edison’s outage map as “weather-related.” The intense heat and pressure on the grid caused equipment failures across many areas affected by power outages.
FILE – A Con Edison worker toiling in a manhole.Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
While crews scramble to restore power problems where they occur, the utility giant reduced voltage by 8% in other areas of the city and urged customers there to cut back to prevent widespread outages.
The most recent voltage reduction occurred at about 5:45 a.m. Friday, impacting an area of northern Brooklyn with more than 133,000 customers in Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. The reduced voltage zone is generally bounded on the north by Newtown Creek, on the south by Pacific Street and Fulton Street, on the east by Throop Avenue and Graham Avenue, and on the west by the East River.
Previously, Con Edison also imposed an 8% voltage reduction to a swath of eastern Brooklyn and southwestern Queens impacting 148,200 customers living in Cypress Hills, City Line, East New York, Highland Park, Broad Channel, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Ozone, Richmond Hill and Woodhaven. The reduced voltage area is generally bounded by the Jackie Robinson Parkway on the north, Jamaica Bay on the south, the Van Wyck Expressway and Queens Boulevard on the east, and the Brooklyn-Queens line and Alabama and Louisiana Avenues on the west.
Con Edison said it is in contact with the city’s Emergency Management office about repair and voltage reduction efforts throughout the heatwave. It is urging all customers across the city to conserve energy as much as possible, such as by avoiding running washers, dryers, dishwashers and microwaves during peak hours.
Residents should also be mindful of air conditioner use; do not run them in unoccupied rooms, and set them to the highest comfortable temperature.
Mamdani echoed Con Edison’s sentiment, again urging New Yorkers to “protect the energy grid by setting your AC to 78º F and powering off all non-essential electronics.” New Yorkers who do not have access to air conditioning can keep cool at one of the many cooling centers that have opened citywide; you can find your nearest location at finder.nyc.gov/coolingcenters.
If you have been impacted by a power outage, report it immediately to coned.com or by calling 800-75-CONED.