Severe weather knocked out power for thousands across Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and Minnesota. Utility crews are scrambling to get the lights back on.
Michigan Grapples with High Wind Outages
Southeast Michigan faced significant power disruptions on Friday as a High Wind Warning brought gusts up to 60 miles per hour. DTE Energy reported more than 25,000 customers without electricity across the region by early afternoon.
The warning lasted until 10 p.m. Friday and covered eight counties in Southeast Michigan. Steady winds of 20-30 mph knocked down power lines, with gusts hitting 50-60 mph.
Power outages spread across the region as winds intensified. Residents checked the DTE outage map to see when their power would come back. DTE sent crews out to fix the downed lines.
Tri-State Region Recovers from Severe Storms
Sunday morning brought a nasty surprise for residents in Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois—widespread outages from overnight storms. A severe storm with a tornado warning tore through the region.
Indiana had only a few dozen outages left by 5 a.m. Sunday, mostly in Vanderburgh County. That's a huge improvement—nearly 1,000 customers had lost power earlier.
Kentucky got hit harder, with about 600 people still in the dark. Muhlenberg County accounted for the majority of these disruptions. You could trace the storm's path by following the line of outages from Muhlenberg County up to Louisville. Illinois got lucky—power was back on everywhere by Sunday morning.
Rochester Residents Face Sunday Evening Blackouts
Rochester, Minnesota got slammed Sunday night when multiple outages hit thousands of customers. By 10:11 p.m., the RPU outage map showed 21 separate incidents across Rochester.
Southeast Rochester took the brunt of it, with more than 8,000 customers losing power. RPU crews worked around the clock to get power back. The utility thanked residents for their patience as they addressed the widespread issues.
Safety Guidelines During Power Outages
Power outages from severe weather create serious safety hazards. Downed power lines are deadly and need to be reported right away.
Stay at least 20 feet away from any downed power line. Don't touch the wires or try to move them with anything. Don't drive over downed wires—they can electrify your car. Anything touching the wire—a fence, a puddle—could be live, so avoid it. Keep kids and pets away from fallen lines.
If there's a fire or a wire on a car, call 911 immediately. Then call your power company to report it. DTE: 800-477-4747. Consumers Energy: 800-477-5050. DTE also has an online form for non-emergency reports.
If a power line falls on your car while you're inside, stay put and call 911. Your car's rubber tires give you some protection. Only get out if there's a fire. If you have to get out, remove loose clothing and jump away without touching the car and ground together. Keep your feet together and hop away—don't let them separate until you're 20 feet clear.
Crews across all four states are working nonstop to get power back to thousands of customers.
