- Three die in a crash near Climax, in Kalamazoo County.
- Largest utilities reported 183,000 customers without electricity.
- Consumers Energy: Weekend showcased Micigan’s “unpredictable weather.”
A wave of fierce thunderstorms, freezing rain, and high winds raked Michigan’s Lower Peninsula — along with other Midwest states — on Sunday, leaving three dead and hundreds of thousands in the state without power.
Three people were killed in a crash near Climax, in Kalamazoo County, as strong storms moved through the area Sunday and a felled tree hit a car, according to National Weather Service, police and news reports.
Utility companies are scrambling work crews to make repairs quickly.
By about 7 a.m. Monday, the two largest utilities in the state – DTE and Consumers Energy – reported 183,000 customers without electricity. DTE’s outage center showed 22,000, mostly in the metro area, and Consumers, more than 161,000.
That was down from more than 227,000 from the night before.
“This weekend has showcased all of the unpredictable weather that Michigan experiences,” Chris Fultz of Consumers Energy said late Sunday, adding that the utility was dispatching more than 600 crews “to restore power across the state.”
Michigan weather radar: See the current conditions
So much for March going out like a lamb.The weather on Monday — the last day of the month — is expected to be drizzly, with temperatures in the 40s, which are expected to fall into the high 20s during the night. The high Tuesday should be about 45, but come back up into the 60s Wednesday and Thursday.
The weekend weather, which, in addition to Michigan also swept across Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ontario, Canada, came in waves, leaving at least an inch of ice on trees in some places. One news report estimated the storms left more than 900,000 without power.
There also were reports of tornadoes and gusts that topped 90 mph.
Last Friday, the National Weather Service in Gaylord issued an ice Storm warning for Emmet, Cheboygan, and Presque Isle counties, and by Saturday it was posting photos on social media of ice-covered trees, as, the agency said, “freezing rain continues to fall.”
And Sunday, Gov. Gretchen Whiter activated the State Emergency Operations Center, with meteorologists closely watching the skies and ice and winds downed trees and power lines, leaving some roadways impassable.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or [email protected].
