Severe Storms Cut Power To 170K Michigan Homes, Businesses

By Sara Powers, CBS Detroit

Aug. 11, 2021

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — More than 170,000 homes and businesses in western and northern parts of Michigan’s lower peninsula remained without power Wednesday morning after high winds from severe overnight thunderstorms damaged power lines.

Wind gusts reached about 70 mph in some areas, including Dorr area south of Grand Rapids, toppling trees, limbs, and power lines. Winds of between 30 and 50 mph were reported across a larger area.

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Consumers Energy reported nearly 170,000 of its customers without power as of 11 a.m., while Great Lakes Energy said it had about 16,000 customers in the dark.

Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations, Guy Packard, said in a news release that “Mother Nature delivered a powerful punch to Michigan” during the overnight storms.

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He said the utility’s crews would be “working around the clock this week to turn the lights back on for everyone who was affected by this devastating storm” but urged customers to be patient, noting that additional storms are possible Wednesday night.

The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids forecasts that more thunderstorms reaching “severe intensity” could hit the state Wednesday night into Thursday morning ahead of an approaching area of cooler, less humid air.

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