Storms Leave Thousands Without Power Across Region

DETROIT (WWJ) - Strong storms swept across southeast Michigan on Wednesday, leaving more than 60,000 homes and businesses in the dark.

A DTE Energy spokesman said a majority of the outages are in Oakland County, with more than 3,000 in the Lake Orion area and about 2,000 in the Commerce Township and Milford areas.

Other hard-hit areas included Troy, St. Clair Shores and Bloomfield Hills.

[Check the DTE outage map for restoration time estimations]

There were some reports of damage — most of it because of high winds.

The National Weather Service reported a utility pole went down near Woodward Ave. and Rapid Street in Pontiac. In addition, trees are reported down near Oxford and in Commerce Township.

Half-inch hail was reported near Clarkston where down trees and power lines were also reported.

Lake Orion Police Chief Narsh said urged residents to use caution.

PHOTOS: Late Summer Storm Damage

"We are experiencing wires down," said Narsh. "But emergency crews are responding. There are crews moving trees and getting to the scenes as fast as they occur."

The storms forced the cancellation of a 9-11 Memorial Service at the Orion Veterans' Memorial. "Ironically, all of the personnel that were going to be participating in the ceremony are now doing what they do best, and that's protecting the folks," Narsh said.

Narsh reminds residents that, when traffic lights are not working, treat the intersection as a four-way stop. And if you encounter any downed power lines, do not touch them.

Earlier in the day, storm damage was reported near Lansing. Ingham County Sheriff Department said several trees came down in the Stockbridge area.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for the entire southeast Michigan region until midnight was canceled early.

This severe weather system came following two days of higher-than-average temperatures in lower Michigan, with highs reaching into the 90s.

CBS 62 Chief Meteorologist Jim Madaus said it would be cooling down for the remainder of the week, with highs in the 70s on Thursday, then dipping down into the 60s on Friday.

For the latest, keep it tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 during traffic and weather on the 8s, 24 hours-a-day. See live radar and the extended forecast anytime on the CBS Detroit weather page.

Meantime, the power was out on the Wayne State University campus, as well as at multiple downtown and Midtown Detroit public buildings since 1 p.m. That outage, however, was not related to the weather. [GET THE DETAILS]