Damaging winds with gusts topping 60 mph have left more than 82,000 Consumers Energy customers across much of western and northern Michigan without power. DTE has several thousand scattered outages in the Detroit area. Since 2 p.m. Wednesday, 90,000 customers have been affected, first by a line of thunderstorms followed by high winds. Wind speeds picked up significantly after midnight, causing downed trees, power lines and utility poles. Winds are expected to reduce by Thursday afternoon, providing favorable weather for damage assessment and power restoration. There was a possible tornado in Canton Township Wednesday night. While assessment is ongoing, full power restoration in hardest hit areas is not expected before Sunday.
