Power Out To Thousands As Gusty Thunderstorms Blow Across Southeast Michigan
DETROIT (WWJ) - A line of severe weather moving through the metro Detroit area has brought hail and high winds.
A Wind Advisory remains in effect forall of southeastern Michigan until 8 p.m. Wednesday. Also, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued by the National Weather Service for Macomb, Oakland, Lapeer, Washtenaw counties until 2:45 p.m., and for St. Clair County until 3:15 p.m.
[Check for the latest weather alerts near you]
Forecasters say we'll experience sustained winds around 30 miles per hour with gusts around 50 MPH. Winds of this magnitude have the potential to down trees and power lines, and driving high-profile vehicles will be difficult.
Wednesday afternoon, trained spotters with the National Weather Service reported some small branches down in the Novi area and hail in Livonia and south of Port Huron.
Wind gusts were reported as high as 49 miles per hour in Novi and 48 miles per hour at Oakland Troy airport.
Meantime, more than 16,000 power outages were reported across the metro Detroit area — possibly as a result of the high winds. About 2,000 of those outages were in Warren, near 14 Mile and Schoenherr Rd. Another 2,000 or so outages were Farmington Hills, near Northwestern Highway and Orchard Lake.
Across the state, Consumers Energy is reporting about 3,500 power outages. Wind gusts of 59 MPH have been recorded in the Keweenaw Point in the Upper Peninsula, while other gusts topping 50 MPH were recorded in Schoolcraft County and near Isle Royale.
The NWS said local communities could experience scattered power outages throughout the day.
Due to high winds, there's an escort for certain high-profile vehicles across the Mackinac Bridge. High profile vehicles include pickup trucks with campers, cars with small boats, bicycles or luggage attached to the roof, U-Haul trucks, and semis with enclosed trailers.
Know before you go: Keep it tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest forecast during traffic and weather, every 10 minutes on the 8s. See the live, local radar now at this link.
Sign up for severe weather text alerts: Text STORM to 95001
For daily weather forecast text alerts: Text FORECAST to 95001
