Michigan power outages widespread after potent storms lash the state

Michigan power outages widespread after potent storms lash the state Show Caption Hide Caption Tips on surviving extreme heat With record-breaking heat waves impacting millions, learn the essential tips on how to stay safe amidst extreme temperatures. Hundreds of thousands of people throughout Michigan woke up in the dark on Wednesday after powerful storms battered the state, causing flooding and widespread school closures as forecasters warned of hot and muggy conditions. More than 337,000 homes and businesses throughout the state were without power early Wednesday, according to USA TODAY’s outage tracker. Citing power outages, dozens of schools across the state canceled classes on Wednesday, and entire school districts remained closed for the day. Portions of several major roads in the Detroit area were closed Wednesday because of flooding, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. Michigan power outage map: Over 330,000 homes, businesses without power across state It was unclear when power would be restored or how Michiganders would keep cool Wednesday, with hot and humid conditions in the forecast again. Temperatures were expected to be in the upper 80s, according to the weather service. “This was the kind of instability we see once or twice a year,” Dave Kook, a National Weather Service meteorologist in White Lake Township, told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. “We appreciate people’s patience as Tuesday’s storms caused devastation on one of this summer’s hottest days,” Norm Kapala, an official with Consumers Energy said early Wednesday, adding it still had 120,000 customers without power. DTE, Michigan’s other large utility, was hit even harder when storms swept through metro Detroit. Intense heat fuels potent thunderstorms The slew of storms that wreaked havoc across Michigan was fueled by a blast of record-breaking heat that settled over the Plains and Midwest regions, as well as high humidity from the Southeast. The extreme heat, which brought all-time record temperatures to parts of Texas last week, expanded into the Plains and Midwest this week. The combination of heat and moisture from the South led to thunderstorms in South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, with damaging winds of 50 to 55 mph recorded in Minneapolis and Chicago, according to the weather service. It will be followed by another cold front that could act as the “death knell” to the summertime weather, according to Bill Deger, AccuWeather senior meteorologist. Millions under heat advisories across Midwest, Northeast About 50 million people in the Midwest and Northeast were under heat advisories Wednesday as a blast of heat was expected to bake the regions. The scorching temperatures triggered weather advisories in cities such as New York, Washington D.C., St. Louis and Philadelphia, where heat indexes were expected to reach the triple digits, according to the weather service. “Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses,” the weather service said, urging residents to stay in air-conditioned rooms, drink plenty of fluids and avoid strenuous work outdoors. – This Summarize was created by Neural News AI (V1). Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/08/28/michigan-severe-storms-weather-heat-updates/74977784007/