Power outages surged to nearly 200,000 customers Friday night after severe thunderstorms swept across New Jersey following a day of dangerous triple-digit heat, with Ocean County remaining under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 11 p.m.
Toms River, NJ – Powerful thunderstorms rolling across New Jersey Friday evening knocked out electricity to nearly 200,000 FirstEnergy customers, ending a day of oppressive heat but leaving thousands of residents without air conditioning heading into the Independence Day weekend.
According to the Jersey Central Power & Light outage map, 199,667 customers were without power across the utility’s service area as of 9:16 p.m. The outages were spread across much of central and northern New Jersey, with the heaviest concentrations appearing in Monmouth, Middlesex, Somerset, Mercer, and parts of Ocean counties.
The outage map showed numerous municipalities reporting scattered outages, while several inland communities experienced larger outage clusters affecting hundreds or even thousands of customers.
Storms follow dangerous heat
The widespread outages developed after temperatures climbed above 100 degrees in parts of New Jersey Friday, placing significant demand on the electric grid before strong thunderstorms moved through the region.
The National Weather Service continued Severe Thunderstorm Watch 448 until 11 p.m. for Ocean, Burlington, Camden, and Gloucester counties, warning that severe weather remained possible through the evening.
Forecasters expect storms to diminish later Friday night, with only a slight chance of lingering showers before skies become partly cloudy. Overnight temperatures are forecast to fall to around 77 degrees, offering some relief after the extreme heat.
More heat and storms expected
While cooler conditions are expected by Sunday, the holiday weekend is not expected to be storm-free.
Saturday’s Independence Day forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and another hot afternoon with a high near 98 degrees and heat index values reaching as high as 103. Scattered thunderstorms are possible after 3 p.m., with additional showers and thunderstorms likely Saturday night.
Sunday is expected to be noticeably cooler, with a high near 84 degrees, although another round of scattered afternoon thunderstorms remains possible.
Utility crews are expected to continue restoration efforts overnight and into Saturday. Customers can monitor restoration updates and report outages through the Jersey Central Power & Light outage website.
Key Points
- Nearly 200,000 FirstEnergy customers were without power Friday night following severe thunderstorms.
- The largest concentrations of outages were reported across central New Jersey, with widespread impacts extending into Ocean County.
- Dangerous heat is expected to continue on Independence Day before cooler temperatures arrive Sunday.
Related: Jersey Central Power & Light, FirstEnergy, New Jersey, Ocean County, Severe Thunderstorm Watch
