Strong rains pounded New York City and its surrounding regions Sunday afternoon -- a wet but welcome relief after days of humid, hot weather.
By Monday, a drier push of air will make it much more comfortable with temperatures returning to the 80's, with lower humidity.
The showers and strong thunderstorms quickly broke a four-day heat wave, sending temperatures plummeting from the 90s to the low 70s.
There was some damage from the brief storm. Trees were downed in the Bronx and one person was reportedly struck by a falling tree in Paramus, N.J.
Thousands of residents in the Tri-State area were experiencing power outages after the powerful storms that prompted severe thunderstorm warnings throughout central and northern New Jersey, coastal New Jersey, Long Island, Westchester, southern Connecticut and all five boroughs.
The National Weather Service had extended a heat advisory for the city until Sunday evening and cooling centers were to remain open to help provide some relief. To find a cooling center near you, go to http://www.nyc.gov/OEM or call 311.
On Saturday, the heat index made it feel like 105-degees plus in some areas. Temperatures in the high 90s didn't drop significantly even after the sun went down and storms rolled through.
A Brooklyn man was struck lightning while taking cover beneath a tree in the borough's Crown Heights section as the metropolitan area was walloped by a bout of severe weather, fire officials say.
The strike left the man unconscious on a street divider.
One woman saw the terrifying sight unfold from her home.
"His feet were smoking and he was bleeding from the mouth," 47-year-old Andrea Brown told the Daily News. "It was terrifying."
Officials say a bystander began CPR. Medics who arrived a few minutes later were able to restore the victim's heartbeat.
Last July, a 42-year-old man was struck by lightning on a cricket field as he tried to flee an approaching thunderstorm.
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