Power Outages Could Last Days for Some Michigan Electric Customers

Storms that swept through the southern half of Michigan's Lower Peninsula left more than 175,000 utility customers in the dark. Repairs could take days for some customers.

Approximately 155,000 DTE Energy customers are without power this morning as a result of Wednesday's (7/26) storms.

As of Thursday morning, Consumers Energy shows that about 23,000 of its customers are in the dark.

Severe Weather Throughout the Region

Storms rolled across the lower portion of Michigan's Lower Peninsula Wednesday afternoon. Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Warnings were posted for West Michigan early in the afternoon with the entire Southeast Michigan region following. A portion of Ingham County was under a Tornado Warning shortly after 2 pm, however, there has not yet been confirmation of tornadic activity.

Here's a screenshot from the Saginaw Neighborhood Watch Facebook page depicting yesterday's radar. I'm just gonna leave this here without comment.

Wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour were reported in some areas, taking down trees and damaging utility lines. A second round of storms made its way across Southern Michigan Wednesday evening, although no watches or warnings were issued.

Power Restoration Could Take Days

In a statement from DTE Energy, the utility company says crews are working to restore power as quickly as possible, but indicates many could be without electricity through Saturday.

"Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power to everyone impacted by the extreme weather that rolled through the region Wednesday afternoon and evening. We expect to restore 95% of impacted customers by end of day Saturday."

As temperatures are expected to reach the high 80s or low 90s Thursday and Friday, anyone without power is urged to take steps to stay safe from heat exposure.

Extensive Property Damage

In the video below, you'll see some of the fallout from residents in the Metro Detroit area. Fortunately, no deaths or severe injuries have been reported as a result of the storms.