Thousands Left Without Power In Brooklyn As Heat Wave Hits

BROOKLYN, NY — A severe heat wave gripping New York City has left hundreds in Brooklyn without power for a third consecutive day, intensifying the summer’s first major weather challenge.

As of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, Con Edison reported that over 3,000 customers in Brooklyn were without electricity. It’s important to note that a single “customer” outage does not always correspond to just one household; in some cases, one customer account can represent an entire apartment building.

The outages began earlier this week, with nearly 8,000 customers losing power in Queens on Monday afternoon, Patch previously reported. Con Edison has urged city residents to avoid using energy-intensive appliances such as washers, dryers, and microwaves.

They also recommend limiting air conditioning use by relying on just one unit set to the highest comfortable temperature, and ask customers to refrain from charging electric vehicles unless absolutely necessary.

The power outages come amid an early summer heat wave gripping the city. Temperatures are expected to reach the high 90s through Wednesday, with the heat index — a measure of how hot it actually feels — potentially climbing above 102 degrees today, according to the National Weather Service.

According to officials, Con Edison is actively working to restore service in all affected areas, but due to the scope of the outages, the estimated restoration time is not until 8 p.m. on Wednesday.

Customers can report outages or check the status of service restoration online at conEd.com/reportoutage, through the Con Edison mobile app, or by calling 1-800-75-CONED.