DETROIT — Nearly 250,000 Michigan residents remained without power Saturday after 65 mph wind gusts in some areas felled trees, limbs and power lines.
Severe weather started hitting West Michigan and the lakeshore Saturday morning and swept through mid-Michigan Saturday afternoon.
At 4 p.m. Consumers Energy reported 124,020 customers without power and DTE reported 120,035.
Dave Guerney, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake Township, said a high wind warning would be in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday due to a cold front moving in and causing wind gusts.
Gusts of 60 mph and higher were reported in several locations Saturday morning, with more gusts expected throughout the day.
“That’s probably going to cause some localized damage and a few power outages, depending on what trees are affected by it,” Guerney said.
Temperatures will continue to fall throughout the day, dropping to about 40 degrees by early evening, he added.
Severe wind gusts of up to 65 mph have caused extensive damage, including 700 downed wires, broken poles and tree-related damage, DTE said in a press release.
At 4 p.m. Saturday DTE said it had 1,445 crews in the field and Consumers Energy said it had 289 crews working to restore power.
“Mother Nature once again caused severe damage across the state,” Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations, said in a press release. “We are mobilizing crews and stationing them in our hardest hit areas to begin damage assessment and restoration work once the winds die down.”
In Dearborn, high winds toppled a huge tree on Coleman Street. The trees' roots lifted up the sidewalk, and the trunk and limbs blocked the street but somehow missed neighboring houses.
In Pontiac, which had wind gusts of 53 mph, the awning over the Phoenix Center was ripped to shreds. Pontiac Mayor Deirdre Waterman said traffic in the area was rerouted as a precaution.
Waterman said the damage shows the need for the city to make needed improvements to the Phoenix Center, which was built in the 1980s.
"This brings to our mind again that we have to do the repairs and the refurbishing of the Phoenix Center like we planned to do all along. This of course is unfortunate and unexpected but right now we just want to alert people to the safety measures," Waterman said.
The city of Warren pushed back its Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, which was scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Saturday, to 4:20 p.m. Sunday due to numerous power outages.
Traffic lights were out in many areas, including at the Lincoln and 11 Mile intersections along Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak.
DTE customers should report outages or down power lines online at outage.dteenergy.com or with the DTE Energy Mobile app, or by calling 800-477-4747.
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