The National Weather Service stated, “up to 0.27 inches of ice could accumulate on surfaces by Saturday morning.”
Current Power Outages
As of Friday morning, 30,586 customers throughout Michigan’s electricity providers were facing power outages, according to a national outage tracking map.
Counties Most Affected
The outages were concentrated in many counties, including Lake, Newaygo, Mecosta, Clare, Isabella, Osceola, Arenac, Charlevoix, Gladwin, and Midland. Mecosta County was among the worst impacted, with over 7,800 Consumers Energy customers, around 31% of the county without electricity. In Clare County over 4,200 customers, or approximately 16% of the county, were impacted. As the storm navigated to southeast, Oakland County reported more than 3,300 power outages as of 11:50 a.m. on Friday.
Utility Providers and Safety Advice
Most residents in Michigan are served by Consumers Energy or DTE Energy, although other providers function in some areas of the state. Utility companies recommended customers to check their provider’s outage maps for the updated information and estimated restoration times.
FAQs:
Q1. How many people are affected by the winter storm in Michigan?
Over 30,000 electricity customers lost power due to snow and freezing rain. The storm affected several counties across the Lower and western Upper Peninsula.
Q2. Which counties are hardest hit by outages?
Mecosta, Clare, Isabella, and Oakland reported the highest number of outages. Many other counties also encountered service disruptions.