Thousands of people lose power in Monmouth County: What to know
Thousands of people lost power in Monmouth County Saturday during a brutally hot stretch of weather in New Jersey.
On Saturday evening 17,000 JCP&L customers were without service, according to the company's outage map. As of Sunday morning at 7 a.m., there were still over 6,500 people without power.
Towns with over 1,000 customers without power included Middletown, Atlantic Highlands and Highlands.
The outages are storm-related rather than heat, according to Chris Hoenig, spokesperson for JCP&L. The outages near Middletown, Atlantic Highlands and Highlands were caused by a lightning strike on a high-voltage sub-transmission line, and also a downed tree limb, per Hoenig.
"Crews are at the substations affected by the lightning strike right now and we have a forestry crew en route for the tree limb, as well," he said on Saturday night.
Ocean County saw fewer than 100 customers without power.
The heat continues for this weekend. Temperatures Saturday and Sunday will be the hottest they've been within this stretch of heat. Limit your time outdoors, and if you are outside, take frequent breaks and stay hydrated! #NJwx #PAwx #MDwx #DEwx pic.twitter.com/FHTRGXeVn0
— NWS Mount Holly (@NWS_MountHolly) June 22, 2024
Middletown was still about 90 degrees in the early evening. Saturday continued a heat wave that embroiled much of New Jersey this week. The heat index for Long Branch was 98 degrees Saturday, per the National Weather Service of Mount Holly.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Monmouth County NJ residents lose power on Saturday
