Power Out To Thousands As Whipping Winds Strike State
DETROIT (WWJ) - With high winds, rain and snow swirling across the state, thousands of Michigan residents are losing electrical service.
As of 10 p.m., almost 50,000 homes and businesses were without power - mainly in the Thumb region, north of Port Huron; and, outstate, Consumers Energy is reporting thousands of outages as well. Most of them are northeast of Kalamazoo.
Meantime, the DTE Energy power outage map shows only a small number of scattered outages to metro Detroit customers, some due to equipment problems. [Check DTE's outage map]
A wind advisory is in effect for metro Detroit and the entire Southeast Michigan area — including Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Livingston, Washtenaw, Lenawee and Monroe continues — until 6 a.m. A high wind warning has been issued elsewhere in the state.
The National Weather Service says to expect hazardous travel conditions as winds pick up, especially for high profile vehicles on east and west roadways. More power outages and minor tree damage as a result of the winds are also likely.
Wind gusts as strong as 60 miles per hour were expected along Saginaw Bay and along the Lake Huron shoreline, according to the NWS — so residents are asked to be prepared for continuing outages in those areas.
Don't get caught in the storm: Keep it tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest during traffic and weather, every 10 minutes on the 8s. See the live, local radar now at this link and check for accidents here.
