In late morning, Consolidated Edison suffered its first significant power failure of the day: About 1,200 customers lost power around East 237th Street in the Bronx. A spokesman said the company hoped to restore power to those customers by 2 p.m.
In Corona, Queens, several customers had been without power since some overhead wires came down late Monday night. Con Ed said that problem might not be fixed until 3 p.m. Tuesday.
The blackouts came as city officials and utility executives dealt with what was sure to be one of the hottest days ever. At 11 a.m., the National Weather Service was already reporting that accounting for the rising humidity, it felt like more than 100 degrees at the city’s two airports. In Central Park, the temperature was 94 degrees, but with relative humidity of 42 percent, it felt like 98 to anyone walking across the Sheep Meadow.
With a forecast for the temperature to reach triple digits across the city by afternoon, Con Edison officials were preparing for the highest demand for power they had ever had to supply. Their forecast was for 13,450 megawatts, a surge they said — fingers crossed — that they were prepared for.
“We’re expecting a record today but we’re not encouraging people to set it,” said Michael S. Clendenin, a spokesman for Con Ed.
