More than 5,000 households were without power in the Princeton region on Saturday evening due to the thunderstorm.
As of 10 p.m., more than 2,400 PSE&G customers in Princeton were without power, more than 2,200 PSE&G customers in Lawrence were without power, more than 1,100 customers in South Brunswick were without power, and more than 900 customers in Hamilton were without power. About 165 customers in Trenton were affected, and a few dozen customers in Ewing and Pennington also lost power. Power is expected to be restored late Saturday night or early Sunday.
The storm brought down trees, utility poles, and power lines, causing numerous road closures across the region. In Princeton, Mercer Street is closed at Lovers Lane until further notice due to a downed tree. Police said to avoid the area and use Route 206 instead. Quaker Road is closed until further notice due to a downed tree blocking the road. Mercer Street is closed near Quaker Road and traffic is being diverted onto Hutchinson. Washington Road is closed at the bridge over Lake Carnegie.
In Lawrence, police urged residents to stay indoors. Lawrence Road is closed at Cold Soil Road. Registry is closed at Cold Soil Road. Princeton Pike is closed near the ecological center. Cold Soil Road is closed near Keefe Road due to a downed pole. Many other secondary roads are closed. Readers report that there are lots of big trees down on Princeton Pike and that people keep trying to drive around them. Readers report that Carter Road is closed about 2/10th of a mile from Route 206 due to a downed tree.
This story will be updated later with other road closures and power outage updates.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.