Severe storms crashed through West Michigan overnight and left behind a whole lot of damage, including downed trees and huge power outages.
The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for West Michigan just before 9 p.m. Tuesday. That watch was in effect until 3 a.m. Wednesday morning. According to the Consumers Energy power outage map, the first outages were reported around 10 p.m. Tuesday as storms began to hit along the lakeshore.
At 7 a.m. Wednesday, 186,774 people were without power in Michigan, including 46,384 people in Kent County alone. Substantial outages were reported throughout West Michigan:
- Kent County: 46,384
- Allegan County: 13,376
- Newaygo County: 9,022
- Ottawa County: 8,762
- Kalamazoo County: 8,026
- Muskegon: 7,591
PHOTOS: Storms leave behind damage in West MI
The storms had over 50 miles-per-hour winds that knocked down power lines and trees. Wednesday morning, many residents woke up to downed trees over roads and in their yards.
There were also several reports of fires caused by downed power lines. In Kent County, a fallen line sparked a road-side fire near 50th and Burlingame in Wyoming. Similarly, a downed power line is believed to be the cause of a barn fire that happened on Polk Street in West Olive. A GoFundMe account has been created to help the family whose barn was damaged in the fire.
The overnight storms packed quite the punch, and 13 ON YOUR SIDE Meteorologist Samantha Jacques says we are not yet in the clear. More severe weather is expected late Wednesday afternoon through the early overnight hours.
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