Severe weather surged back into Metro Detroit on Thursday, and by afternoon all of Southeast Michigan was under a tornado threat as warnings spread across the region. The danger reached Detroit, Dearborn and Livonia in Wayne County, where the warning lasted until 4:30 p.m.
The scope of the storm made the search term Fox 2 Detroit relevant for anyone tracking the weather in real time. Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties were under warnings until 4:15 p.m., while Monroe County remained under warning until 5 p.m. Livingston County’s warning was dropped even as other parts of Southeast Michigan stayed under alert, a sign that the threat was shifting rather than ending.
The warnings came after a heavy round of thunder, lightning and downpours hit Metro Detroit Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The National Weather Service said the storms could stick around through the early afternoon, and severe thunderstorm warnings were also issued for parts of Oakland, Wayne and Genesee counties. Gusts were reported up to 70 mph, enough to raise the risk of tree damage and damage to mobile homes and roofs.
The storms also hit transportation and utilities. A ground stop was ordered for Detroit Metro Airport because of thunderstorms, and DTE said more than 110,000 customers lacked power as of 2:40 p.m. Jerry Tullio said 80% of the customers affected by the first wave of the storm could have service restored by the end of Thursday, a goal that depends on how quickly crews can clear damaged lines and poles.
That is where the worst of the service problems appeared to be concentrated. DTE said the most significant storm damage affecting service was along the I-96 corridor, and it had 400 linemen from out of state already working restoration with another 800 on their way later Thursday afternoon. The company and Detroit fire officials were also dealing with safety risks tied to the outages and the damage left behind by the wind and rain.
David Nelson urged people to treat every downed line as live, stay at least 25 feet away, keep clear of anything the line is touching and keep children back. He said anyone who finds a power line on a home should leave immediately and call 911. For residents in Oakland County, sirens may have sounded because the warning system is turned on when winds strengthen to about 60 to 70 mph.
The drop of the Livingston County warning offered some relief, but it did not mean the system had passed. More storms were expected later in the evening, and the unresolved question for homeowners and drivers was not whether the weather had already caused damage, but how long the outage recovery and the next round of storms would keep Southeast Michigan on edge.
