Storms Knock Out Power Across Central Jersey as Dangerous Heat Continues Through the Holiday Weekend
A severe storm knocked out power across Rahway, Edison, and Woodbridge Friday night, disrupting NJ Transit as New Jersey's most dangerous heat wave in over a decade continues.
Fallen trees along Route 27 in Woodbridge following Friday night’s severe thunderstorm, which knocked out power to thousands of PSE&G customers across the township. (The Central Jerseyan)
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Chris Howell | July 4, 2026
A fast-moving line of severe thunderstorms tore through Central Jersey Friday night, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses and disrupting NJ Transit service, compounding what forecasters are calling one of the most dangerous heat waves the region has seen in more than a decade.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill provided an update Saturday afternoon from a New Jersey Transit facility in Woodbridge, joined by NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri and state agency leaders.
“These storms came on quick, and they hit hard,” Sherrill said.
The National Weather Service had issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch covering 13 New Jersey counties, including Middlesex and Union, ahead of the storms on Friday evening. Multiple Severe Thunderstorm Warnings followed as the line moved through the state, with confirmed wind gusts reaching 70 mph at Newark Liberty Airport and in Perth Amboy, in Middlesex County. Sherrill said gusts as high as 80 mph were recorded in some areas.
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The storm knocked down trees and power lines across the region. NJ Transit’s Morris & Essex Line alone lost 60 trees along with catenary and signal equipment in a 20 to 30 minute span, Kolluri said.
More than 300,000 customers lost power statewide at the height of the storm, according to Frank Gaffney of the Board of Public Utilities. As of Saturday afternoon, 135,000 had been restored, while more than 165,000 remained without power.
PSE&G’s live outage map showed 23,948 customers without power statewide as of 3:02 p.m. Saturday, down sharply from the storm’s peak as crews continued restoration work. The map showed a cluster of more than 1,000 customers without power in the Linden area.
Linden Mayor Derek Armstead said in a video posted to Facebook Saturday afternoon that the city sustained significant storm damage, including fallen trees tangled with live power lines. He said PSE&G crews must de-energize and clear electrical hazards before city crews can begin removing the trees.
July 4th daytime heat index values are expected to peak between 100-110°F through early this evening, per the National Weather Service. (NWS)
Woodbridge Township showed its own separate cluster of more than 1,000 customers without power on the same map. Edison showed a comparatively smaller outage, with 107 customers affected as of the 3:02 p.m. update.
Gaffney said utilities were completing damage assessments and expected to share more detailed restoration estimates by Saturday evening. Some outages may last several days.
“We cannot emphasize enough, stay far away from downed power lines,” Gaffney said.
The storm suspended service on four NJ Transit lines: the Morris & Essex, Gladstone, Montclair-Boonton, and North Jersey Coast lines. Most service is expected to resume by Monday morning’s commute, except for the Morris & Essex Line, Kolluri said. Bus service will supplement that line if it remains affected.
The disruption reaches directly into Central Jersey. Woodbridge’s train station sits on the North Jersey Coast Line, one of the suspended lines. Rahway’s station serves both the North Jersey Coast Line and the Northeast Corridor Line, meaning that some, but not all, service through Rahway was affected. Edison’s station sits solely on the Northeast Corridor Line, which continued running throughout the storm and its aftermath.
NJ Transit rail tickets and passes are being cross-honored on NJ Transit and private buses, as well as on PATH trains at Newark Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal, for riders affected by the suspensions.
The disruptions come a day before the FIFA World Cup match scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday. NJ Transit crews are working overnight to prepare full service for the anticipated crowd while continuing storm cleanup, Kolluri said.
The storm hit during what state officials are calling the most severe heat wave New Jersey has experienced in more than a decade. Health Commissioner Dr. Raynard Washington said the state has recorded 19 suspected heat-related deaths this week, beginning as early as Thursday, with most concentrated in central and northern New Jersey.
Washington said many of those who died were found in homes without air conditioning. Some were found outside, and some in parked cars. He said the ages of the dead were not limited to older adults.
“It’s really important that all New Jerseyans take this heat wave very seriously,” Washington said. He compared the toll to a shorter heat wave last year that caused about six deaths statewide.
Washington said hospitals and urgent care centers have also seen a sharp increase in visits for heat-related illness, and that some health care facilities have needed help keeping generators and cooling equipment running. In some cases, patients have been evacuated from facilities where cooling could not be maintained.
These numbers are considered suspected pending confirmation by medical examiners, Washington said.
The National Weather Service’s Extreme Heat Warning remains in effect for the region until 9 p.m. Saturday, with heat index values reaching as high as 102 to 110 degrees, depending on location. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has also issued a Code Orange air quality alert for Middlesex and Mercer counties on Saturday.
More thunderstorms are possible Saturday night and Sunday, though forecasters say any additional storms are unlikely to match Friday’s severity. Temperatures are expected to ease into the mid-to-upper 80s on Sunday, offering the region’s first real relief in days. However, humidity will keep conditions feeling warmer in parts of the state.
Sherrill said her office has been in contact with more than 400 municipalities this week to help coordinate cooling centers. She asked local officials to notify NJ 211 directly if their cooling center hours change.
“We’re Jersey strong for a reason,” Sherrill said. “We’re ready, and we’re resilient.”
Residents without air conditioning can find cooling center locations at nj211.org or by calling 211. The state has also launched a new resource at nj.gov/heat with information on heat safety and energy conservation. Residents experiencing a medical emergency related to the heat should call 911.
Editor’s note: The Central Jerseyan is free to read and supported by advertising. If you value this kind of local reporting and want to help sustain it, you can become a citizen supporter on Patreon. Your contribution helps fund continued coverage of local government, schools, and community issues.