It’s the storm before the calm.
Ferocious heat-fed thunderstorms packing winds of 60 mph slammed the metro area Friday night, downing trees and power lines, and leaving hundreds of thousands blacked out.
But the scorching heat wave — which will again bring temps near 100 today — will finally break tonight.
The cooling air, however, could trigger more storms just in time for tonight’s fireworks displays in NYC and surrounding suburbs.
On Friday, Morris and Monmouth Counties in New Jersey were hit hardest, with Roxbury Township police reporting that trees had fallen on houses and cars, even trapping residents, according to Patch.
More than 230,000 customers were without power in the Garden State this morning.
Nearly 10,000 customers in southwest Queens had their electricity shut off by Con Edison after an underground cable malfunctioned because of high power demand, NBC reported.
Due to a flash storm, Governor’s Island’s grandstands were damaged, causing the viewing of the Parade of Sail — the 40 tall ships and 20 naval warships assembled in the East River for America’s 250th anniversary — for premier access ticket holders to be canceled.
Today’s temps could hit 99 degrees, and an extreme heat warning remains in effect for NYC through 9 p.m., according to Weather Channel forecasters.
The good news is that the mercury is expected to drop to 74 degrees tonight. The bad news is that showers could start around 7 p.m. and last until 11 p.m. The Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular begins at 9:25 p.m.
The cool-down continues Sunday, with a high of 84 degrees and some cloudy skies and isolated thunderstorms scattered throughout the day.
Showers are expected Monday, with a high of 75 degrees.
