Extreme Heat Causes Widespread Power Outages Across NYC Boroughs
A severe heat wave gripping New York City has led to widespread power outages, leaving thousands of residents in Queens and on Staten Island without electricity. Con Edison reported significant disruptions to its service on Monday, June 23, 2025, as the intense heat placed enormous strain on the power grid.
As of Monday evening at 8:30 p.m. ET, over 12,000 Con Edison customers across the city were experiencing outages. The vast majority of these were concentrated on Staten Island, with more than 8,300 affected, and in Queens, impacting over 1,300 customers. Outages were also reported in the Bronx (about 1,880 customers) and Brooklyn (around 700 customers by late afternoon), with just a few isolated incidents in Manhattan.
Con Edison clarified that an outage counted per “customer” does not necessarily represent a single household; it can sometimes indicate an entire residential building or complex without power.
Strain on the Grid Amidst Dangerous Temperatures
The outages coincided with an Extreme Heat Warning issued for New York City, in effect through Tuesday night. Temperatures were forecast to soar near 100 degrees Fahrenheit on both Monday and Tuesday, with oppressive humidity pushing “feels-like” temperatures as high as 107 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Experts warn that extreme heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the U.S., underscoring the danger of these conditions.
The surge in energy demand as residents relied heavily on air conditioning to cope with the heat put immense pressure on Con Edison’s equipment, leading to failures and the subsequent outages.
Utility Responds with Repairs and Conservation Calls
In response to the situation, Con Edison crews were actively working to restore power throughout the day. To manage the load and facilitate repairs, the utility implemented voltage reductions. This included an 8% reduction in parts of southeast Queens starting Monday morning, followed by similar measures in areas of Staten Island and sections of Brooklyn by the afternoon. Specific Brooklyn neighborhoods where repairs were underway and conservation was requested included Dumbo, Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and Fort Greene.
Con Edison also issued urgent requests for energy conservation to customers in affected and nearby areas, particularly targeting residents in southeast Queens, the aforementioned Brooklyn neighborhoods, and numerous Staten Island communities. These Staten Island neighborhoods included:
New Brighton, St. George, Tompkinsville, Brighton Heights, Ward Hill, Stapleton, Grymes Hill, Clifton, Silver Lake, Rosebank, Ft. Wadsworth, Grasmere
Concord, Arrochar, South Beach, Ocean Breeze, Midland Beach, Grant City, New Dorp, Dongan Hills
Residents in these zones were asked to temporarily avoid using energy-intensive appliances like washers, dryers, and microwaves, and to delay charging electric vehicles. They were also urged to curb unnecessary use of air conditioning, recommending that if multiple units were available, only one be used and set to the highest comfortable temperature.
Restoration Efforts and City Aid
Estimated restoration times varied throughout the day as the situation evolved. Earlier estimates placed restoration for most Queens customers around 4 p.m. and Staten Island customers around 11:30 a.m. However, by late afternoon, the projected restoration time for Queens had shifted to around 9 p.m., and by the evening update, Con Edison’s outage map indicated power in Staten Island and the Bronx was expected to return around 8 p.m., with Queens following around 10 p.m.
Amidst the dangerous heat, the City of New York opened cooling centers across all five boroughs to provide residents a safe, air-conditioned place to find relief. Residents were encouraged to locate their nearest cooling center if experiencing outages or lacking adequate cooling at home.
