LIPA: 800+ outages following thunderstorms

A radar image taken before thunderstorms rolled into the greater Smithtown area Wednesday shows a cluster of lightning strikes ahead of the storm.

Smithtown, NY (SmithtownRadio.com) – Quick moving thunderstorms knocked out electricity to hundreds of Long Island Power Authority customers Wednesday. The midday storms brought about a brief period of heavy rain and wind but no severe weather was reported.

LIPA reported over 800 outages throughout the greater-Smithtown area with most outages in Hauppauge and St. James. Most of the lights came back on by evening.

Area fire departments received several calls of lightning strikes near home during the storms. The Hauppauge and Nesconset fire departments responded to a house fire at 57 Roosevelt Boulevard around 1:15 p.m. Residents tell SmithtownRadio.com’s Andrew Natoli there was a period of frequent lightning before the fire started. Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze and no one was injured. There were no immediate reports of damages. The fire marshal’s office will conduct an investigation to find the official cause of the fire.

Motorists are advised to use caution on area roadways, where flooding is possible and traffic lights may be out due to power outages.

SmithtownRadio.com’s Andrew Natoli contributed to this report