The basics:

• Following storms, utilities restore power to hundreds of thousands of NJ customers
• Flooding, fallen trees, roof collapse cause widespread damage
• NJ Transit, bridges, roadways faced major weather disruptions
• Officials continue recovery efforts as lawmakers question grid reliability

New Jersey is emerging from several days of extraordinary weather that brought record-breaking heat, violent thunderstorms, widespread power outages, transportation disruptions and structural damage as well as flooding during and after the Fourth of July.

The prolonged heat wave pushed temperatures and heat index values into the upper 90s and low 100s across much of the state for the holiday weekend. Then four consecutive days of severe thunderstorms and flooding rains swept across New Jersey.

The violent weather produced damaging winds that toppled and snapped thousands of trees, downed power lines and damaged utility infrastructure. At its peak, the aftermath left hundreds of thousands of utility customers without electricity while disrupting rail service, marine traffic and travel statewide.

PSE&G

Public Service Electric & Gas said crews have restored power to more than 380,000 customers affected by the storms. About 3,800 customers remain without power as of this writing.

More than 170 PSE&G, contractor and mutual aid crews, along with more than 180 vegetation management crews, have worked around the clock across the utility’s service territory.

The company said many of the remaining outages are among the most difficult to restore. The work requires crews to rebuild damaged portions of the electric system, replace utility poles and transformers, and repair equipment in areas with significant storm damage.

Throughout the restoration effort, crews have removed more than 650 fallen trees that blocked access to damaged electrical equipment. The work has also repaired or replaced hundreds of damaged utility poles and transformers.

PSE&G also noted that customers may not always see crews working in their neighborhoods. Often, they must complete repairs to damaged circuits, which serve entire communities, before the utility can restore electricity to individual homes.

JCP&L, Atlantic City Electric

Jersey Central Power & Light said it has restored service to approximately 330,000 of the roughly 350,000 customers affected by the combination of extreme heat and severe thunderstorms and flooding. JCP&L puts the number of customers still without power at just over 19,000, as of this writing.

The company said it expects to restore power to the vast majority of remaining customers Tuesday, with smaller pockets of outages extending into Wednesday.

JCP&L said many of the remaining interruptions require extensive reconstruction work before it can safely restore service.

The company has engaged more than 3,500 company employees, mutual aid workers and contractors in restoration efforts. Additional crews also continue to arrive.

Like other utilities across the state, JCP&L has spent days clearing snapped and fallen trees; replacing broken utility poles; rebuilding damaged sections of the electric system; and repairing substations, transformers and power lines damaged by the storms.

“We know this has been frustrating for our customers — there’s never a good time for a power outage, but in the middle of such an extreme heat wave, on a holiday weekend, makes it especially difficult,” the utility said. “We’ve got our foot on the gas and we are not slowing down until every last customer has their power restored.”

We’ve got our foot on the gas and we are not slowing down until every last customer has their power restored.
—JCP&L

Atlantic City Electric also reported significant progress. ACE restored approximately 26,000 customers’ power within the first 24 hours after the weekend storms while simultaneously responding to equipment issues caused by the preceding extreme heat.

The utility said all customers affected by the weekend storms had power restored by Monday evening. Meanwhile, customers impacted by the additional severe weather July 6 should expect to have service restored by Tuesday evening.

State response

Gov. Mikie Sherrill said state agencies have remained fully engaged throughout both the extreme heat and severe weather events.

“The New Jersey Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) continues to be activated and assisting communities across the state with severe weather conditions, including those impacted by today’s substantial flooding. During the last few days, I have been in direct contact with mayors, as well as our utility companies, transit officials, and our emergency responders to ensure a closely coordinated response. I’m grateful to all of our public servants who have been working around the clock to keep people safe.

“Our communities have been hit hard, and we will continue to help them recover.”

Posted at 5:23 p.m. July 6:

We’re working around the clock to respond to severe weather across New Jersey, but we’re not through it yet.

More heavy rainfall is expected tonight and flooding remains a real concern.

Please monitor your local forecast, charge your devices, and never drive through flooded… pic.twitter.com/E7LWdcwIJj

— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) July 6, 2026

The Governor’s Office said the State Emergency Operations Center has remained fully activated while coordinating response efforts across all 21 counties. NJOEM also opened a damage assessment portal to document storm impacts for potential federal disaster assistance.

State officials said the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has overseen restoration efforts involving roughly 500,000 outages. NJBPU also highlighted the mutual aid crews from neighboring states and Canada brought into New Jersey to assist utilities.

Flash floods

The severe weather produced significant flash flooding in South Jersey.

Camden County officials said more than 4 inches of rain fell in just over an hour Monday. The weather generated nearly 1,000 calls to the county’s 911 dispatch center, shut down major roadways, stranded motorists, and flooded homes and businesses.

“The flooding and resulting damage we saw in the city and throughout the county yesterday is unlike anything we’ve seen in our area in years,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. said.

Monmouth County officials also urged residents to remain vigilant as recovery efforts continue. Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone described the events as “unprecedented heat and severe storms.”

“Safety is the top priority for our residents and everyone who travels throughout Monmouth County … and with additional thunderstorms possible this week, the County is making every effort to keep residents and visitors safe,” said Arnone. “We ask anyone traveling through these areas to follow all posted detours and the directions of first responders.”

Infrastructure  impacts

Buildings and transportation infrastructure across New Jersey also suffered damage.

One of the most dramatic incidents occurred Monday morning, when part of the roof at the BJ’s Wholesale Club in the Oakhurst section of Ocean Township collapsed following heavy rain. Video of the collapse quickly spread across social media, but despite the frightening scene, officials said no one was injured.

Security video footage posted by Shlomo Schorr on X:

Security camera footage shows the moment the roof collapsed at a BJ’s store in Oakhurst, New Jersey.
No injuries were reported. pic.twitter.com/1Bqk26n8vi

— Shlomo Schorr (@OneJerseySchorr) July 6, 2026

Authorities said 27 people were inside the building when the partial roof collapse occurred. Two individuals were briefly trapped but able to free themselves before emergency crews completed primary and secondary searches. Responders used drones and urban search-and-rescue K-9 teams to ensure everyone had safely exited the structure.

“This incident is another reminder of how quickly severe weather can create dangerous and unpredictable conditions … Despite the ongoing flooding and severe weather affecting our communities, all worked seamlessly together to ensure everyone was safely accounted for,” Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden said. “Their dedication and teamwork exemplify the very best of public safety.”

Reports also highlighted flooding at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune Monday.

“At Hackensack Meridian Health, the safety and well-being of our patients, guests, and team members is our highest priority,” the company told NJBIZ in a statement. “Earlier this afternoon, as a result of the severe storm, we experienced flooding in Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s Level 1 Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center, and Pediatric and Adult Emergency Department lobby.

“Patient care was not impacted and normal operations continue.”

Sherrill is slated to visit both Camden and the BJ’s in Monmouth County Tuesday to assess damage.

Transportation

NJ Transit infrastructure suffered extensive damage over the course. The agency recorded more than 50 trees falling across tracks and overhead wires following the days of record-breaking temperatures and consecutive severe thunderstorms.

While rail service has largely resumed, the Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton lines continue to operate modified weekday schedules. Gladstone Branch service has resumed with delays as repairs continue.

Today, July 7, Morris and Essex line rail service is operating on a modified weekday schedule between Morristown and Penn Station New York/Hoboken Terminal. Gladstone Branch rail service is operating on a regular weekday schedule. Montclair-Boonton line rail service will operate…

— NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) July 7, 2026

Extreme heat also created problems on New Jersey waterways.

The New Jersey Department of Transportation temporarily closed the Route 13/Bridge Avenue (Loveland Town) Bridge over the Point Pleasant Canal to marine traffic. The closure came after high temperatures caused bridge components to expand, preventing the movable span from opening for boats.

Similarly, NJ Transit kept its 115-year-old railroad bridge over the Manasquan River in the closed position for extended periods during the holiday weekend. Again, heat affected the bridge’s operating mechanisms, effectively stranding boaters.

The New Jersey Department of Health reported 29 suspected heat-related deaths associated with the recent extreme heat event. Most occurred across central and northern New Jersey. The individuals ranged in age from mid-30s into the 80s.

Health officials cautioned the deaths remain under investigation pending review by forensic pathologists. However, they said the figures “underscore the serious public health risks associated with extreme heat” and serve as “a sobering reminder of the need for continued vigilance and heat safety measures during periods of extreme temperatures.”

Calls for accountability

The prolonged outages prompted criticism from several Republican lawmakers, who questioned utility preparedness, electric grid reliability and state oversight.

Assemblyman Alex Sauickie, R-12th District, called on NJBPU to hold a public reliability hearing following the widespread outages.

“New Jersey families are paying some of the highest utility costs in the nation, and what are they getting for it?” Sauickie said. “Spoiled food, dark homes, failed traffic lights, unsafe conditions and vague restoration updates on a holiday weekend. The governor and the BPU cannot keep telling people to pay more while delivering less reliability.”

Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and Paul Kanitra, both R-10th District, also criticized JCP&L’s response after thousands of Monmouth and Ocean County residents remained without electricity for days.

“This isn’t a one-off storm story. This is JCP&L’s business model,” said McGuckin. “Year after year, our residents suffer some of the longest outages in the state. Ocean County has one of New Jersey’s largest senior populations, and JCP&L keeps treating four- and five-day outages during heat emergencies like the cost of doing business. It has to stop.”

‘We all have the same goal’

JCP&L responded by emphasizing its continued coordination with elected officials throughout the restoration effort.

“We work closely with our elected and local officials at all levels—municipal, county, state, every one of them—to coordinate and make sure we are addressing their needs during events like this,” the company said. “We’ll continue to work closely with them to make sure we’re providing them with the information and insight they need—we all have the same goal: restoring power as fast and safely as possible to every last customer that’s out.”

State Sen. Jim Holzapfel, R-10th District, also criticized NJ Transit’s handling of the prolonged closure of the Manasquan River railroad bridge.

“The closure of the railroad bridge over the Manasquan River during one of the busiest boating weekends of the summer stranded countless boaters all because NJ Transit failed to have an adequate contingency plan and provide timely notice,” he said.

Please stay with NJBIZ for the very latest on the storm aftermath.