Stormy Weather, Thousands Without Power
Severe weather that rolled through southeastern Michigan Friday night knocked out power to 60-thousand homes and businesses. And stormy weather Saturday could hinder restoration efforts.
Early Saturday morning 48-thousand DTE Energy customers were without power, according to utility spokeswoman Eileen Dixon.
"Wayne County was really the hardest hit area along with Washtenaw," Dixon said Saturday morning. "In Wayne County we have about 30-thousand customers out."
Trees and power lines were down throughout southern Wayne County and Washtenaw County.
"The wind was a big negative," Washtenaw County Emergency Services Director Marc Breckenridge told WWJ late Friday night. "We've got alot of people with power, we've got roads that are blocked with trees and power lines to this minute we expect that to go on for a day or perhaps longer."
Wind gusts from 60 to 82 miles per hour were reported. The top winds were 82 miles per hour near Milan.
It's unclear when full restoration will be complete. DTE Energy was calling in workers from other utilities to help restore power.
Dixon said people who see downed lines should stay "far away."
To report an outage call DTE Energy at 1-800-477-4747.
More severe weather is possible Saturday, before sunshine returns Sunday. Click here for complete weather information.
A Flash Flood Watch is posted for Metro Detroit through 8 p.m. Saturday.
The National Weather Service says additional thunderstorms will be heavy rainfall to the region and one to two inches of rain an hour is possible at times.
A flood watch means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding, which is a very dangerous situation.
Here's the WWJ-AccuWeather forecast:
Variable cloudiness Saturday, hot and humid with a couple of heavy, gusty thunderstorms. High 86-90.
Cloudy and humid Saturday night with some rain and a thunderstorm, especially in the evening. Low 70.
Becoming less humid Sunday with clouds and sunshine. High 83.
Monday: Mostly sunny and pleasantly warm. High 85.
Tuesday: Sunny. High 88.
