JCP&L working to fix power outages throughout Monmouth County Monday

More than 10,000 JCP&L customers remained without power Monday afternoon following a series of outages throughout Monmouth County as temperatures were still rising on a day that started out near the teens.

Most of the affected customers were in Manasquan and Middletown where some 7,500 people were without electricity as of 1:30 p.m. About 1,160 customers were affected in Belmar.

Chris Hoenig, spokesman for the utility, said the outages started about 9:45 a.m. Monday when an unidentified problem occurred on a high voltage transmission line that feeds substations. About 20,000 customers were originally affected.

At 1:45 p.m., Hoenig said it will be a "couple of hours" before everyone's power is restored. As each substation is inspected and cleared, a few thousand customers will go back online each time, he said.

Most of the outages were due to be fixed by 4 p.m. today, according to estimates on JCP&L's outage map.

Hoenig said a number of factors could have caused the problem with the high tension line, from faulty equipment and insulators to contact with animals such as birds and squirrels. Although gusts swept through the area Monday, it is unlikely to have been caused by the wind, he said.

The disruption was not related to a $53 million upgrade of transmission lines in the area, he said.

More:JCP&L $53M transmission line upgrade designed to prevent, reduce length of power outages

Towns still affected by Monday afternoon included Brielle, Colts Neck, Holmdel, Manalapan, Lake Como, Red Bank, Sea Girt, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights, Tinton Falls and Wall Township, with several others experiencing small numbers of affected customers.

Ken Serrano covers breaking news, crime and investigations. Reach him at 732-643-4029 or at kserrano@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Power outage hits Monmouth County NJ during lingering cold snap