Story perspectives

July 4 Storms Knock Out Million Power, Kill Three Kids

7/5/2026

Summary

Mayor Mamdani Orders

Storms and a heat wave on July 4, 2026 left one million customers without power across the upper Midwest and Northeast, with 820,000 still out Saturday morning.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered crews to clear trees, urged use of overnight cooling centers, and cancelled the Independence Day Parade.
A motorboat capsized on Wisconsin’s Geneva Lake during the storm, killing three children under 13 and prompting Mayor Todd Krause to declare an emergency.

Summary

PJM Orders Cuts

PJM Interconnection issued a July 4 emergency alert ordering industrial and residential demand-response customers to cut use around 6 p.m. EDT.
The operator warned that heat-wave strain could curtail electricity exports to neighboring grids.
Peak load hit about 163 GW Thursday, near the 165.6 GW record set 20 years ago.
Spot wholesale prices rose above $2,500 per megawatt hour this week, with northern Virginia prices topping $2,000 per megawatt hour.

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Mayor Mamdani Orders

Storms and a heat wave on July 4, 2026 left one million customers without power across the upper Midwest and Northeast, with 820,000 still out Saturday morning.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered crews to clear trees, urged use of overnight cooling centers, and cancelled the Independence Day Parade.
A motorboat capsized on Wisconsin’s Geneva Lake during the storm, killing three children under 13 and prompting Mayor Todd Krause to declare an emergency.

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