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Severe Thunderstorms Leave Downed Power Lines, Trees In Their Wake

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Severe thunderstorms were accompanied by numerous jarring bolts of lightning Thursday night, forcing the cancellation of a planned Black Eyed Peas concert in Central Park, downing trees and power lines.

Friday morning, it was all about the cleanup.

Connecticut Light & Power said more than 85,000 customers have had their power restored. Nonetheless, some 62,000 customers remained without power early Friday.

A spokesman said restoration of power is "going to be a rebuild rather than a repair effort in some areas" due to downed power poles.

WCBS 880's Paul Murnane reports: Parts Of Connecticut Hit Hard By Storm

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Thousands of homes were without power in Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties.

"I thought it was the end of the world," one New York man told WCBS 880's Sean Adams. "It was terrible. Hail was coming down, the rain was coming down sideways."

PSEG said some 20,000 customers were without power Friday morning.

Signal problems following the storm complicated the Friday morning commute for Metro North riders along the New Canaan Branch. Delays of up to 30 minutes were reported.

A 37-year-old man was struck by lightning in his front yard in Essex, N.Y.

A transformer blew out in Paterson, N.J., forcing St. Joseph's Children's Hospital to use their generators for power.

Fans of the Black Eyed Peas were disappointed when the dangerous lightning storm forced their free concert's cancellation.

Were you impacted by the severe weather? Are these thunder and lightning storms getting worse over time? Sound off in our comments section.

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