Michigan utilities rush to restore power as forecasts call for another hot, muggy day

Michigan’s two largest utilities scrambled Wednesady to reconnect utility lines brought down in storms in which 60-70 mph winds mowed down trees throughout the state , leaving, at one point, more than 365,000 Michigan residents in the dark.

By about 9 a.m. Wednesday, there were still more than 325,000 customers without power.

It was unclear when all the power would be restored or how Michiganders would keep cool Wednesday, with temperatures forecasted to be hot and muggy again. Temperatures a re expected to be in the upper 80s . But with the humidity, it could feel like it was in the low to mid 90s.

"We had a significant, severe weather event that rolled through Michigan," Steve Freitag, a National Weather Service meteorologist in White Lake Township, told the Free Press early Wednesday. He added that the damage reports were still coming in. "There’s a 35% chance of a thunderstorm during the day."

Several school districts and private school announced closings and delays as a result of the power outages and heat, including Ann Arbor, Clarkston, Eastpointe, Farmington, Fowlerville, Imlay City, Royal Oak, Southfield, Warren, Waterford and Ypsilanti.

And social media, as you might expect, was overflowing with complaints — and a few compliments.

The weather — which spawned the damaging winds and triggered a heat advisory and tornado sirens in southeast Michigan — was no doubt the story of the day Tuesday, and a reminder why the weather service exists, to protect lives.

The federal agency said that fortunately, in metro Detroit, no tornadoes touched down.

But there were severe storms in the morning, then oppressive heat that felt like 100 degrees or more, which led to weather warnings and school closings in the afternoon, and then more thunderstorms, which crackled and took out even more power lines in the evening.

More: 365,000 without power in Michigan after severe storms, scorching heat

In addition to the power outages, winds damaged homes and other structures. Flooding closed roadways. And out of commission traffic signals led to chaos at intersections.

"We appreciate people’s patience as Tuesday’s storms caused devastation on one of this summer’s hottest days," Norm Kapala, and official with Consumers Energy said early Wednesday, adding it still had 120,000 customers in the dark. "Our focus now is to get the lights back on."

The Jackson-based public utility promised to hand out free water and ice in Rockland and Midland.

DTE, Michigan’s other large utility, was hit even harder when storms swept through metro Detroit, with more than 203,000 customers without power , nearly 80,000 in Oakland County alone. It said it was "bringing in 800 line workers from outside our area to help speed restoration."

The utility said it expects that 90% of its customers would have their power restored by late Thursday.

On social media, several customers pushed back. They complained that going days without power was too long. Some even directed their complaints to the utilities, commenting, for example, on a DTE Facebook post about how the company was fixing lines.

An irritated customer blasted DTE, noting that "the unreliable power grid in Michigan is more than an inconvenience," pointed out that it "costs Michigan families and businesses" every year and demanded "no more rate increases!"

And another questioned how realistic the electric vehicle targets were with an unreliable grid.

There were a few terrifying and touching stories about the outages on social media, too.

A mom asked if she could give her 10-month old baby "some whole milk in a pinch?" because "he’s usually on Similac soy" but was running out. The internet responded to her with all sorts advice, suggestions and offers to help.

And a small business owner said in a Downriver community group that another small business saved her meal-prep company by offering some fridge space to prevent food from spoiling. The owner of the charitable company, BC's Pizza in Lincoln Park, didn't hesitate to help. The recipient thought "everyone should know 🤎."

Longer term, climate scientists have said, that the problem, however, is more than upgrading utility lines.

They are concerned that human-caused climate change is leading to hotter and more volatile weather patterns globally, which, over time, if it is not addressed, it would turn Tuesday's weather into something that occurs much more regularly.

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan utilities rush to restore power as forecasts call for another hot, muggy day