More than 324,000 Michigan residents were left in the dark early Wednesday after storms hit the state.
DTE Energy reported that more than 203,000 customers have been without power since 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. Consumers Energy said more than 120,000 of its customers have also lost power since 6 a.m. Many of its customers live in Kent, Ionia, Montcalm, Gladwin, Midland, Bay and Clare counties.
The city of Plymouth was hit hard by the overnight storms, officials said.
“The northern part of the city was hit the hardest, with trees damaged and some homes destroyed,” the city said in a post on its Facebook page. “Much of the city is without power and DTE Energy is aware of the situation.”
Officials added: “Police, fire and city services have been responding to emergency calls since 2:30 a.m. Several power lines are down. Several streets are closed due to tree damage or downed power lines. The downtown area is currently without power and some traffic lights are not working. Drive with extreme caution today.”
According to the National Weather Service, even more severe weather conditions could occur in southeast Michigan. The agency has issued a hazardous weather forecast for the region, including Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.
Service forecasters said there is a chance of isolated thunderstorms Wednesday morning, and isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon and evening. They predict the storms will mostly stay south of Interstate 69.
They also said it would remain wet through the middle of the week and Thursday should be dry.
Extended Metro Detroit Forecast
Thursday: Mostly cloudy; high 80, low 67
Friday: Mostly sunny; high 88, low 67
Saturday: Mostly sunny; high 83, low 62
Sunday: Sunny; high 82, low 55
Monday: Sunny; high 72, low 52
Tuesday: Mostly sunny; high 73
Source: National Weather Service
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