SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) -- Southeast Michigan is getting quite the soaking, as what's left of Tropical Storm Beryl sweeps through the Great Lakes.
After rain fell throughout the day on Wednesday, Michigan State Police are urging drivers not try to drive into or through flooded areas on roads and freeways.
"We get people all the time that think that they can make it," said MSP First Lt. Mike Shaw. "And by the time they get about halfway through, they quickly find out as their car is starting to float that that water is just too deep."
Shaw said if you do get stuck in the flood waters, you should remain in your car until first responders arrive.
The National Weather Service said doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated heavy rain associated with the remnants of Beryl, and minor flooding ongoing in Southeast Michigan.
NWS said between 1 and 3 inches of rain had fallen by 9:40 a.m., and about another inch was expected by early afternoon. (A Flood Advisory for Metro Detroit expired at 4 p.m., although a Flood Watch remains in effect for portion of Lower Michigan until 8 p.m.)
NWS said the public should expect flooding on city streets, and ponding of water in flood prone areas. Some locations that will experience flooding include: Warren, Ann Arbor, Livonia, Troy, Southfield, Taylor, St. Clair Shores, Pontiac, Novi, Romulus, Ypsilanti, Mount Clemens, Hartland, New Baltimore, Fenton, Flat Rock, Howell, Saline, Brighton and Milford.
There was some flooding on local freeways into the afternoon hours, with eastbound I-94 through Detroit being a particular trouble spot .
WWJ's Jon Hewett reported it took him 35 to 40 minutes to travel just a few miles from downtown at Woodward Ave. to Conner Street on I-94, with standing water across all lanes.
"Navigation has advised me to get off at Gratiot and French road and the like," Hewett said. "But I wanted to stay on just to give our listeners an idea ahead of the afternoon rush here what this would be like, and it is frankly a mess."
"A steady rain continues to fall and again, traffic literally stop and go."
Meanwhile, the weather may be to blame for more than 10,000 power outages across Metro Detroit during the day on Wednesday.
The outages were scattered across southeastern Michigan, but some of the bigger outages are near 12 Mile Rd. and John R in Madison Heights and in the area of Lone Pine and Middlebelt in West Bloomfield Township. More than 1,000 were out near 10 Mile and Middlebelt in Farmington Hills.
- CHECK THE DTE OUTAGE MAP -
Rain-wise, AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson said areas west of Metro Detroit got hit the hardest.
"Just looking at some of the rainfall totals at some of the official reporting sites, seeing a lot of reports of 1 to 3 inches of rain, but there were areas that got more than that; Jackson picked up 3.78 inches," Thompson said, adding that radar estimates in some areas of Jackson County showed as much as 6 or 6 inches of rain.
Some other hard-hit areas included east of Lansing, northeast of Flint and parts of Livingston County, which saw between 4 to 6 inches of rain.
"But with these tropical storms, with these downpours that develop inside of these storms that can lead to some big differences," Thompson said. "At Metro Airport there was 1.31 inches of rain, but over at City Airport 2.9 inches of rain. So, not a huge distance, but a pretty big difference in precipitation."
Looking ahead, Thompson said Thursday will be a warmer day with some sunshine. Then Metro Detroit is looking at rising humidity, making for a hot and sticky weekend.
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