A portion of downtown Lakehurst is without power Wednesday night after a transformer explosion on the eastern end of Union Avenue.

The area near Brown Avenue is in the dark, as is the traffic signal on Route 70 and Orchard Street, said Chief of Police Eric Higgins, as a Nor'easter dropped snow most of Wednesday afternoon and into the evening in Ocean County.

The transformer was damaged during Hurricane Sandy and had not been repaired by JCP&L crews, Higgins said. The utility reports that 5 percent of its 1,260 Lakehurst customers are without power Wednesday night.

No surrounding structures were damaged but some residents across the street from the transformer were evacuated from their homes, according to the chief.

Lakehurst police have notified JCP&L of the problem, Higgins said, though it is unclear when the backlogged electric provider will be able to respond.

Because of the weather, Lakehurst Elementary School is closed Thursday, Superintendent of Schools Jill Dobrowansky said.

The district is expected to reopen on Friday for an abbreviated day. Breakfast and transportation will be available though no lunch will be served, Dobrowansky said.

Manchester schools will be closed Thursday and Friday as was originally scheduled by the district for the now-canceled New Jersey Education Association convention.