Power outages, road closures linger after Monday's storms
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Thousands are without power Tuesday after Monday's hot temperatures fueled strong storms in the New York City region.
According to the Branchburg Township Administrator Gregory Bonin, there was severe damage due to wind at Harlan School Road and Stony Brook Road, where poles and trees were down. JCP&L crews were working to restore power.
In Preakness Circle, a chimney was ripped off a house and two cars were thrown about 100 feet.
JCP&L said crews have been working through the night in the area; 49,000 customers there lost power during the storm. Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, 2,311 customers were still out system-wide, 150 of them in Branchburg.
Powerlines also came down in Elizabeth, N.J., near Fourth Avenue and High Street, sparking a fire. About 35 customers were without power in that area.
In Peekskill, N.Y., police said a transformer exploded on Simpson Place, leaving the southern half of the city without power Tuesday morning, but it had been restored by 9:30 a.m.
In Colts Neck, N.J., the police department said state Route 34 would be closed between Conover Road North and Conover/Laird Road due to storm damage. Utility poles and wires were down in the area; JCP&L and Verizon were working on repairs.
Flooding in Jersey City closed lanes on Routes 1/9 at Tonnelle Circle, causing backups.
A look at a waterspout over Raritan Bay:
On Long Island, it was an especially scary situation when a bolt of lightning came dangerously close to injuring a baby boy when it hit his mother's home and sparked a fire. Fortunately, an alert neighbor helped get them both out of their Elmont home in time.
The storms first started mid-afternoon, prompting severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of New Jersey and New York, including New York City.
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The LIRR was restored by Tuesday morning after all Long Island Rail Road service between Penn Station, Atlantic Terminal, and Jamaica was suspended in both directions Monday evening due to weather-related signal problems.
RELATED: More photos of storm damage
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