MICHIGAN ~ Powerful thunderstorms swept across Michigan over the Independence Day weekend, leaving thousands of residents and businesses without electricity, creating one of the largest outage events of the summer so far.
About 80,000 DTE customers are still without power as of Monday morning. According to multiple reports, high winds exceeding 60 mph brought down trees, damaged power lines, and disrupted service across Southeast Michigan, Mid-Michigan, and portions of the western part of the state.
Utility companies reported widespread outages as crews worked around the clock to restore service. DTE Energy said more than 220,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm Friday, while Consumers Energy reported more than 115,000 outages across its service territory.
The hardest-hit areas included Wayne, Oakland, Monroe, and Kalamazoo counties, where fallen trees and downed wires blocked roads and created hazardous conditions for residents. In Detroit, city officials reported significant storm damage, particularly on the city’s west side, where emergency crews responded to numerous calls involving fallen trees and traffic signal outages. The Detroit Zoo was not able to open on July 4 due to a power outage.
Residents were urged to avoid downed power lines, report outages through utility providers, and prepare for extended restoration times in heavily damaged areas. Authorities also reminded homeowners to use generators safely and to check on elderly neighbors and vulnerable family members during prolonged outages.
Meteorologists say the storms developed rapidly as a strong weather system moved through the Great Lakes region, producing damaging straight-line winds and intense rainfall. While the immediate threat has passed, utility companies continue assessing damage and restoring service to affected communities.
