Forecasters — and Michigan’s two largest utilities — are cautioning that there could be some intense weather this week, with storms, hail and perhaps even tornadoes on Wednesday, June 18, followed by extreme heat over the weekend.
A tornado warning was issued — then canceled ― Wednesday afternoon in northern Macomb County, and in the central and southern part of the county a flash flood warning is in effect until about 4:30 p.m.
If the power goes out, DTE Energy and Consumers Energy said they have crews ready.
Despite sunny weather in some places, meteorologists warned, storms come on suddenly, with 2-3 inches of downpours, quarter-sized hail, 70-mph winds and even terrible tornadoes.
That’s a good reason to tune in to weather alerts on TV, radio and your mobile phones. Tornado sirens, if there’s enough time for them to go off, are intended to be outdoor warnings, and you might not hear them if you are inside.
The downpour also could cause some flooding, if a lot of rain falls suddenly.
The weather watchers predicted scattered showers throughout southeast Michigan all morning, but the worst of the storms likely will be in the late afternoon and into the night, from about 4-10 p.m.
“There’s a low-pressure system that’s moving through the Midwest that’s driving the whole pattern,” said Bryan Tilley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake Township. “It’s what we’d expect to see for a severe weather event.”
Thursday, there could be lingering rain in the morning. Then starting on Saturday through next Monday, the heat is taking hold, with temperatures in the low- to mid-90s, which could be a problem if storms knock out power and it doesn’t get repaired.
Temperatures Friday are expected to be in the 80s.
DTE said its top priority is safety, and warned that the high winds could cause power outages, especially from downed trees and limbs. If that happens, the Detroit-based utility said, crews are ready to reconnect lines.
In addition, while the utility has not yet completed repairs to the backup systems for the Great Lakes Water Authority, DTE said it has installed generators to provide backup power for the backup systems, in the event the primary one fails.
In addition, Consumers said it also is on top of the forecast.
“Our crews are ready, and our systems are being monitored around the clock,” David Hicks, one of Consumers Energy’s officers in charge for the storm event. “We will work as quickly and safely as possible to restore any service interruptions.”
The Jackson-based utility said it has crews ready to go in Jackson, Flint, and Grand Rapids.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.
This story was updated with new information.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Metro Detroit braces for showers, storms, hail — and then temps in the 90s
Reporting by Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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