Power Outage in Manhattan Today

There are tens of thousands of people who are without electricity in New York City today. It’s been more than a week since Tropical Storm Sandy battered the East Coast, and a massive power outage in Manhattan and the surrounding areas started around 5 a.m. today. Con Edison says more than 60,000 people are without power in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. Some areas may not have electricity until Sunday night. On a live stream, the city’s electricity was out for more than 20 minutes in the Upper West Side, while the lower and midtown areas were hit much later.

As the temperatures rise, so does the risk of blackouts. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for New York City through 8 p.m. on Sunday. Highs were forecasted to reach the mid-90s today. In the meantime, the weather has been cooler in Manhattan than usual, and the National Grid reported fewer outages today. There is still some concern, however.

According to Con Edison, more than 600 customers lost power in Astoria, Queens, and Bronx. By 5 p.m., 67 customers were still without electricity. In western Queens, Con Edison has reduced voltage by 8% in order to prevent a full-blown citywide blackout. Regardless of the cause of the power outage, Con Edison officials are encouraging customers to limit their energy usage.