Michigan winter storm leaves over 30,000 residents without power

A powerful winter storm swept across Michigan on Thursday night, resulting in a dangerous mix of snow, freezing rain, and icy conditions to the Lower Peninsula and the western Upper Peninsula that left tens of thousands without electricity. Over 30,000 electricity customers in Michigan were without power on Friday as winter weather and freezing rain continued to impact large regions of the state.


Ice Accumulation Warning


The National Weather Service stated, “up to 0.27 inches of ice could accumulate on surfaces by Saturday morning.”

Current Power Outages

As of Friday morning, 30,586 customers throughout Michigan’s electricity providers were facing power outages, according to a national outage tracking map.

Counties Most Affected

The outages were concentrated in many counties, including Lake, Newaygo, Mecosta, Clare, Isabella, Osceola, Arenac, Charlevoix, Gladwin, and Midland. Mecosta County was among the worst impacted, with over 7,800 Consumers Energy customers, around 31% of the county without electricity. In Clare County over 4,200 customers, or approximately 16% of the county, were impacted. As the storm navigated to southeast, Oakland County reported more than 3,300 power outages as of 11:50 a.m. on Friday.

Utility Providers and Safety Advice

Most residents in Michigan are served by Consumers Energy or DTE Energy, although other providers function in some areas of the state. Utility companies recommended customers to check their provider's outage maps for the updated information and estimated restoration times.

FAQs:

Q1. How many people are affected by the winter storm in Michigan?
Over 30,000 electricity customers lost power due to snow and freezing rain. The storm affected several counties across the Lower and western Upper Peninsula.

Q2. Which counties are hardest hit by outages?
Mecosta, Clare, Isabella, and Oakland reported the highest number of outages. Many other counties also encountered service disruptions.