Thousands Without Power As Gusty Storms, Possible Tornado Cross State
DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Thunderstorms followed by winds with gusts topping 60 mph have knocked out power to thousands of homes and businesses across parts of the state.
DTE Energy says approximately 11,000 homes and businesses are without power across the metro region. A large number of outages are in Lyon Township and Sterling Heights.
A Wind Advisory remains in effect until 10 a.m. Thursday. Forecasters say wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph are expected.
The National Weather Service is expected to assess storm damage in Canton Township to determine if a tornado touched down Wednesday evening. High winds hit the area of Lilley and Joy roads just before 7 p.m., downing trees and damaging vehicles. Two commercial buildings, an industrial building and several other structures were damaged. No injuries have been reported.
Strong wind gusts continued to whip through parts of the Detroit area early Thursday morning.
Consumers Energy says Thursday that more than 104,000 customers in western and northern Michigan were without electricity as the storms toppled trees, utility poles and power lines. More than 21,000 customers in Kent County lost power. Outages topped 8,000 in Roscommon County and 5,800 in Ottawa County. The utility says full restoration of power is not expected before Sunday in some areas.
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