Severe thunderstorms knocked out power across parts of the U.S. while a separate incident in Decatur, Alabama, traced one outage to a roughly 5½-foot snake that bridged energized equipment at the Cedar Lake Primary substation. Decatur Utilities said the snake contacted two energized components and showed a photo of the reptile, and the utility added that the radial design of its grid let crews reroute electricity to distribution substations and restore service while repairs continued. The utility said the outage affected more than one-third of Decatur Utilities customers but did not immediately say when the outage occurred or provide a precise customer count. In Northeast Ohio, severe storms left thousands without power Friday as crews responded across multiple counties. A power outage at the Yonkers Joint Wastewater Treatment Plant caused untreated wastewater to discharge into the Hudson River, and officials issued a health advisory urging people to avoid recreational contact with affected waters through the holiday weekend.
