Con Edison on Thursday urged thousands of residents in northern and western Queens to conserve electricity as crews continued repairing damaged infrastructure following a days-long heatwave that strained the city’s power grid.
As of 8 a.m., more than 2,600 customers in Queens were without power. In response to ongoing equipment issues, the utility company has temporarily reduced voltage by 8% in several neighborhoods to protect the power system and maintain service reliability during the high-demand period.
The affected zone covers an area bounded by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and 51st Avenue to the north, the Jackie Robinson Parkway to the south, Queens Boulevard to the east, and the Brooklyn border to the west. Approximately 115,400 customers in Forest Hills, Forest Hills Gardens, Middle Village and Glendale are impacted.
A second zone, encompassing East Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, includes about 80,300 customers. That area stretches from the East River on the north to 45th Avenue and the Long Island Rail Road on the south, between the BQE and the Grand Central Parkway.
A third area affected by voltage reductions spans from the Long Island Expressway and the Long Island Rail Road on the north to the Grand Central Parkway on the south, with the Cross Island Parkway on the east and Queens Boulevard on the west.
Con Edison said the localized equipment failures are not affecting the broader electric grid. However, residents in the impacted zones are being asked to avoid using high-energy appliances such as washers, dryers, and microwaves, and to limit air conditioning where possible.
“If you have two air conditioners, use only one and set it to the highest comfortable temperature,” the company advised. Residents are also urged to postpone charging electric vehicles until repairs are completed.
In the past 72 hours, Queens County has experienced a peak outage count of 10,245 customers — approximately 1.13% of total customers. The average number of customers without power across New York State during the same period was 2,847.
The extreme weather has placed significant stress on the city’s electrical infrastructure, particularly during afternoon peak usage hours.
Relief is on the way for Queens and the rest of New York City following days of oppressive heat. After record-breaking temperatures across the tri-state area on Tuesday — including a 100-degree high in JFK, the hottest in over a decade — a significant cooldown is expected. Cooler air is forecast to move in by Thursday morning. Daytime highs will fall to the mid-to-upper 70s on Thursday, with an even more dramatic drop into the 60s expected by Friday, along with lower humidity.
Customers can report outages and check restoration updates by visiting www.conEd.com/reportoutage, using the Con Edison mobile app, or calling 1-800-75-CONED.
