Tri-State Heat Relief After Severe Weather

Temperatures will be much cooler throughout the weekend

The violent thunderstorms that gusted through the area Wednesday evening brought much needed relief from the heat but the heavy rains and wind also caused damage that left residents cleaning up Thursday. 

The afternoon thunderstorms, with spectacular lightning and quarter-sized hail, created a messy commute home for many, as roads and even subway platforms flooded. The MTA reported no major train delays, saying in a statement that "problems occur when there is a large amount of rain in a short amount of time."

At least one person was injured in Glen Cove, Long Island as trees were split in half and a gazebo was destroyed in historic Morgan Park. The storms were blamed for delays at all three major airports, and thousands were without power across the area. A 21-year-old woman was also struck by lightning in Kew Gardens, the Daily News reported.

By Thursday morning, Con Edison reported around 100 customers were still without power, down from more than 14,000 who lost power during the heat and thunderstorms. For the second straight day, Con Ed's 3.2 million customers in New York City and Westchester set a record for 2012 peak electricity demand, topping out at 12,836 megawatts at 1p.m. Wednesday.

On Long Island, LIPA said there were over 100 active outages. More than 10,000 outages were reported across New Jersey at its peak, but the number was down to around 1,000 by Thursday morning, according to Jersey Central Power and Light.

PSE&G had restored power to all customers by late Thursday morning.

On Wednesday, temperatures hit a record 104 degrees in Newark, with a heat index of a blistering 108. LaGuardia also a record high of 101, and JFK of 96. Central Park reached a high of 100, but it was not a record.

The storms brought double-digit relief from record temperatures after three days of blazing heat and stifling humidity. In Central Park, the temperature plunged to 74 degrees after the storm passed through. The rest of the week through Sunday should remain cool and pleasant -- a welcome change for many throughout the area.

Thursday may see some showers, but the high temperature will be much cooler than it's been all week, topping off in the mid to upper 80s.

Friday will see highs of 76 and a mix of sun and clouds. Some areas may experience scattered showers.

The weekend will be mostly sunny and pleasant, with highs in the low 80s.

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