The epic NYC heatwave is taking a toll on the power grid, as Con Edison has temporarily shut off power to nearly 10,000 southwest Queens customers due to heat-related equipment problems and heavy electrical demand.
The 9,800 customers who lost power on the afternoon of July 3 include residents in portions of Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park. Con Edison said the plugs were pulled in order for crews to more quickly repair damaged equipment and prevent larger and more widespread power failures elsewhere.
As of 5:10 p.m. Friday, Con Edison’s outage map indicated several clusters of Southwestern Queens had been thrown in the dark. One area is generally bounded by Liberty and 109th Avenues between 104th Street and the Van Wyck Expressway. Another cluster is generally bounded by Linden Boulevard and 111th Avenue to the north, Lefferts Boulevard, 121st Street and 130th Street to the west, Sutter and 135th Avenues to the south, and the Van Wyck Expressway, Foch Boulevard and 144th Street to the east.
A third cluster involves almost the entire neighborhood of Howard Beach, with roughly 2,500 customers affected.
There were no specific estimates on when power may be restored. Con Edison advises residents to seek out relief in cooling centers and to report any medical emergencies to 911 immediately.
In the meantime, the utility company is distributing dry ice to impacted residents at Resorts World Casino New York City. Head to 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., Casino Lot C, via Aqueduct Road. Dry ice will be distributed until 10 p.m. tonight, or while supplies last.
Meanwhile, Con Edison has cut voltage by 8% across even wider swaths of Brooklyn and Queens amid unprecedented electrical demand, Con Edison also announced Friday afternoon. In total, nearly 400,000 customers in both boroughs are in zones where voltage has been reduced to help avoid outages.
Residents in the following areas are urged to shut off unnecessary lights or air conditioners, and to avoid using large appliances such as washers, dryers, microwaves and dishwashers until later hours on Friday night:
- An area of central and western Queens bounded by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and 51st Avenue on the north, the Jackie Robinson Parkway on the south, Queens Boulevard on the east, and the Brooklyn borough line on the west. The area includes 116,600 customers in parts, or all, of Glendale, Forest Hills, Forest Hills Gardens, Ridgewood, Maspeth and Middle Village.
- An area of Long Island City and Hunters Point, Queens, generally bounded by Queens Plaza North, 33rd Street, the Newtown Creek and the East River. Some 17,000 customers are affected.
- A third area of Queens including Sunnyside, Sunnyside Gardens and Woodside, generally bounded by the Sunnyside Yards and Northern Boulevard on the north, 58th Street on the east, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway on the south, and 33rd Street on the west. This power reduction impacts about 35,000 Con Edison customers
- An area of southern and western Brooklyn generally bounded on the north by 3rd Street and 4th Street, by the Narrows and Gravesend Bay on the south, by Fort Hamilton Parkway and 5th Avenue on the east, and by Gowanus Bay and the Narrows on the west. The area includes 106,000 customers in parts, or all, of Bay Ridge, Borough Park, Carroll Gardens, Dyker Heights, Park Slope and Sunset Park.
- A second swath of western and southern Brooklyn generally bounded on the north by Prospect Park and Greenwood Cemetery, on the south by Belt Parkway and Long Island Railroad (LIRR), on the east by 20th Avenue and Marlborough Road, and on the west by Fort Hamilton Parkway. The area includes 122,000 customers in parts, or all, of Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Flatbush, Borough Park, Bensonhurst, and Dyker Heights.
The power problems come amid one of the worst heatwaves the city has endured in the last decade. Temperatures again soared to 100 degrees in many parts citywide, but with humidity, the real-feel temperatures were more like 110 or 115 degrees.
The oppressive heat led many New Yorkers to crank up the air conditioners in their homes and businesses. That has put tremendous pressure on the city’s power grid.
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.
Con Edison previously reported that more than 80,000 customers across the five boroughs had lost power on Thursday through early Friday morning due to weather-related equipment failures. The outages were scattered throughout Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. Power was restored to the vast majority of these customers 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.
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.
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.
