As an oppressive heat wave continues to grip New York City, Con Edison is distributing dry ice to residents in eastern Queens impacted by power outages due to the soaring temperatures and high humidity.
Con Edison began providing bags of dry ice today at the Queens County Farm Museum in Glen Oaks, located at 73-50 Little Neck Parkway. The giveaway will continue until 9 p.m. or until supplies run out. Company representatives are also on-site to answer questions from residents.
The emergency measure comes as Con Edison crews work to restore power to thousands of customers affected by equipment failures caused by the extreme weather. As of Monday afternoon, an estimated 7,500 customers were without power across Queens. Temperatures have reached the upper 90s, with a heat index well above 100 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The agency has issued an excessive heat warning for the New York City area through Tuesday, June 24.
Dry ice, which is frozen carbon dioxide, is being distributed in labeled paper bags that include safe handling and disposal instructions. The utility is reminding customers that dry ice must be used only in well-ventilated areas and kept away from children and pets.
Con Edison is also urging all customers in southeastern Queens to conserve energy by refraining from using non-essential electrical appliances while repairs are underway. The utility had previously reduced voltage by 8% to maintain reliability in neighborhoods including Jamaica, St. Albans, Cambria Heights, Laurelton, Queens Village, and South Jamaica.
According to Con Edison, customer cooperation is critical to preventing further outages and helping crews safely resolve cable and equipment issues. Updates and estimated restoration times are being posted to the company’s official X (formerly Twitter) account.
The utility frequently deploys dry ice distribution during widespread service interruptions and extreme weather events. While no further distributions have been announced, it is likely Con Edison will continue to roll out dry ice across other impacted areas if additional outages occur in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the city has opened hundreds of cooling centers throughout the five boroughs, including senior centers, libraries, and NYCHA community rooms. A full map of available cooling locations can be found at finder.nyc.gov/coolingcenters.
As temperatures remain dangerously high and air quality concerns persist, officials continue to warn New Yorkers—especially older adults, children, pets and those with chronic health conditions—to stay hydrated and indoors during peak heat hours whenever possible.
