The utility reported that service has been restored to nearly 31,000 customers, though approximately 16,000 households across Staten Island, the Bronx, and Queens remain in the dark. In the Riverdale neighborhood, crews resorted to preemptive power shutoffs to prevent more widespread, long-term infrastructure failures.

The pressure on the regional grid is reflected in projections from PJM Interconnection, which manages electricity across a broader territory. PJM warned that Thursday’s peak demand could eclipse the all-time summer record of 165,563 megawatts established in 2006. With peak usage forecasted at 166,241 megawatts against a capacity of 172,780 megawatts, the operator has issued a maximum generation alert for Friday to manage the continued surge in demand.