A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of southeast Michigan. Thunderstorms began pushing through the region Monday evening, bringing high winds and power outages.
A warning for southeast Macomb County is in effect until 8:30 p.m. and for southeast St. Clair County until 9 p.m.
Hail is expected to damage vehicles while wind up to 60 mph may damage roofs, siding and trees, the National Weather Service warned.
A hazardous weather statement remains in effect for much of the rest of the region.
About 4,380 DTE customers were without power as of about 8:30 p.m. The hardest hit areas included Roseville, Grosse Pointe Woods and Beverly Hills.
Some 5,156 Consumers Energy customers were in the dark, mostly in the area of Bear Creek Township, near Roscommon in Crawford County.
Thunderstorms south of Interstate 69 were hitting the region with damaging wind gusts, large hail and an isolated weak tornado possible threats. The storm was heading northeast at 40 mph.
Counties included in the weather outlook include St. Clair, Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Wayne, Lenawee and Monroe.
Other areas at risk for severe storms include the counties of Midland, Bay, Huron, Saginaw, Tuscola, Genesee and Lapeer.
In addition, a Red Flag warning has been issused until 9 p.m. for northern Lower Michigan. Isolated thunderstorms and scattered showers were possible. Winds up to 25 mph with gusts to 45 mph and “locally higher gusts to 50 mph possible” across open areas and near lakeshores, the weather service said.
A Red Flag warning means “critical fire weather conditions” exist or will exist with the combination of high winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures contributing to fire risks.
In Oscoda County, residents on Camp 10 Road along the Au Sable River were being evacuated away from the area due to unsafe conditions from wildfires, the Oscoda County Sheriff’s Office said on social media.
Authorities there had set up a shelter at Tri-Point Church of God in Mio.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Storms threaten portions of Michigan; isolated weak tornado possible
Reporting by The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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