A line of severe storms Friday night left New Jersey with widespread outages, downed trees, and damage to transit infrastructure.
By 6:30 p.m. Saturday, nearly 121,000 JCP&L and PSE&G customers were still without electricity, New Jersey 101.5 reported.
What happened?
Outage data showed some of the worst impacts in a handful of counties. JCP&L's outage map listed more than 51,000 customers without service in Morris County and more than 39,000 in Monmouth County, while PSE&G customers in Essex, Middlesex, and Union counties were also hit hard, according to New Jersey 101.5.
Dan Zarrow, chief meteorologist for New Jersey 101.5, said the damage was caused by straight-line winds rather than tornadoes. JCP&L spokesperson Chris Hoenig said the utility restored service to 50,000 customers between Friday night and Saturday morning, but widespread destruction meant it still could not give firm restoration estimates.
The storm also caused major transportation and service disruptions. NJ Transit said more than 50 trees were reported along the Morris & Essex Line, damaging tracks and suspending service there and on the Jersey Coast Line, New Jersey 101.5 reported. In Wall, pump stations lost power, raising concerns about reduced water pressure, while Jackson Mayor Jennifer Kuhn said several roads were closed because of downed trees and wires.
Residents described the storm as sudden and intense. One person wrote, "15 minutes of insane winds in Warren. Tons of trees down, [widespread power] outages," while another said, "The wind was CRAZY in Scotch Plains!!! Downed trees and downed wires causing fires."
Why does it matter?
Power outages during extreme heat can shut off air conditioning, refrigeration, and medical devices, while fallen wires, blocked roads, fires, and transit shutdowns can quickly create wider safety and economic problems. New Jersey 101.5 reported that one person died during Friday night's storms.
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What's being done?
Restoration efforts were still underway Saturday. According to New Jersey 101.5, Hoenig said 1,700 crew members were working 16-hour shifts, with additional line, substation, and forestry workers coming in through mutual aid and contractor partners. To manage the heat, workers were taking turns cooling off in truck cabs, and JCP&L was distributing free ice and water for customers at select store locations.
Downed wires, restoration updates, transit alerts, and cooling center availability remained immediate concerns. Zarrow warned of a possible second round of storms Saturday evening, as residents tried to keep phones charged and emergency supplies ready.
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"This was an extremely severe line of storms," Hoenig said. Zarrow added: "It was all straight-line winds, fueled by the intense heat and humidity in our atmosphere. Wind gusts probably reached 70+ mph in spots."
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