Watch CBS News

Tri-State Area To Get Heat Relief; Thousands Still Without Power

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The triple-digit scorcher that taxed the electrical grid and made life uncomfortable in the Tri-state area is finally expected to simmer down somewhat on Sunday.

National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Pollina said temperatures will begin to ease Sunday but will remain in the 90s.

"Monday is really when we see cooler air coming,'' he said, with forecast temperatures sinking to the low to mid-80s.

Check Your Local Forecast: Radar Forecast & Alerts | Traffic & Transit Guide | On-Air: 1010 WINS | WCBS 880

Temperatures reached 102 degrees in Newark and at Kennedy Airport on Saturday, but humidity made it feel hotter most places across the region.

The brutal heat also brought with it the highest levels of power consumption Con Ed says it has seen in city history.

Related Guides: Free Beaches | Public Pools | AC Hideouts

"It would have been a lot higher if people didn't conserve as well as they did," said Con Ed spokesman Michael Clendenin.

Transformers blew from heavy usage and thousands of customers were without power. Voltage was lowered as crews worked to reconnect neighborhoods like Middle Village, Queens, one of the areas hardest hit.

While thousands had lost power in various outages blamed on the heat in New Jersey, officials said the power grid still appeared to be in good shape and only sporadic, minor outages were being reported Sunday afternoon.

However, residents were still being asked to avoid any unnecessary power usage, such as doing laundry or leaving lights on in unoccupied rooms. And water utilities also urged residents to keep conserving and refrain from outdoor watering.

City officials also said water usage had soared as New Yorkers tried to keep cool. On Saturday, it hovered around 1.5 billion gallons a day, about 50 percent higher than normal, said Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway.

PHOTO GALLERY: Heat Wave Hits Tri-State

As sweaty New Yorkers craved relief from the steam bath, news came that many didn't want to hear.

Until the water treatment plant that has been spewing raw sewage is totally fixed, the Department of Environmental Protection is advising swimmers to stay out of the water along the Hudson and Harlem rivers in Staten Island and Brooklyn.

Are you happy that the heat wave is ending? Sound off in our comments section below…

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.