UPDATE: As of 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, Consumers Energy reported about 84,000 customers without power and DTE Energy reported 87,000.
Almost 230,000 remain without power after a tornadoes and a severe storm blasted Michigan Thursday, Aug. 24.
Consumers Energy reports nearly 118,000 customers are without power as of 9 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 26 and DTE Energy reports 112,000.
About 660 Consumers Energy crews are working to restore power by the end of Sunday, a news release said. DTE Energy expects to have the lights back on for 80% of customers by the end of day Saturday.
“We are all hands on deck on this storm, across the company,” said Greg Salisbury, a Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge, in a statement. “We are making progress today in restoring power and hopeful that added crews will speed up the pace of restoration work through the weekend.”
About 25,000 Consumers Energy customers are without power in Kent County, nearly 24,000 in Jackson County, 16,000 in Eaton County and 15,000 in Ingham County. On the east side of the state, the biggest outages remain in Wayne County for 54,000 DTE customers, 17,000 in Livingston County and 11,000 in Washtenaw County.
The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids and Detroit has confirmed that seven tornadoes whipped across the state Thursday evening.
Five people died in the storm that left a trail of destruction in Kent, Ingham, Livingston, Monroe and Wayne counties.
- Northern Kent County: An EF-1 tornado clocking 110 mph winds started east of Peach Ridge Avenue and north of 6 Mile Road around 8:15 p.m. It traveled for almost 9 miles, snapping trees and damaging homes, before stopping just west of Rockford High School at 8:30 p.m.
- Ingham County into Livingston County: An EF-2 tornado then struck eastern Ingham County at 9:29 p.m. It touched down near I-96 where 17 semi trucks were overturned and several buildings were damaged by the 125 mph winds. The twister then continued into Livingston County, weakening into an EF-1, before lifting near Van Buren Road west of Nicholson Road around 9:42 p.m. Three people were injured and one died in this tornado.
- Canton (Wayne County): An EF-0 tornado with 80 mph winds touched down northwest of the Pheasant Run Golf course in Canton around 10:19 p.m. It brought down tree branches and caused a tree to fall on a house before dissipating north of the Lower River Rouge two minutes later.
- Belleville (Wayne County): This EF-1 tornado touched down around 10:23 p.m. south of the Wagner Homestead Farm. It then traveled southeast, bringing down trees and striking the Mobile Manor Trail Park. It lifted around 10:26 p.m. near Pebblebrook Drive and Fret Road.
- Newport (Monroe County): An EF-1 tornado with 100 mph winds first hit a field in Ash Township around 10:38 p.m. It traveled southeast, cutting through Frenchtown Villa Mobile Home Park where roofs were torn off and one home was flipped over. The tornado then crossed over I-75, bringing down power poles and large tree limbs before dissipating around 10:42 p.m. near North Dixie Highway and Post Road in Frenchtown Township.
- South Rockwood (Monroe and Wayne counties): Another EF-1 tornado touched down around 10:39 p.m. on Carleton Rockwood Road east of Telegraph Road. It then traveled east for over 5 miles, snapping trees and bringing down tree limbs. It ended at the Detroit River at 10:45 p.m.
- Gibraltar (Wayne County): An EF-1 tornado hit the Brownstown Creek area at 10:38 p.m. It traveled southeast across West Jefferson Avenue and Gibraltar Road before crossing a portion of Edmond Island and Horse Island. It lifted at 10:43 p.m.
More on MLive:
Tornado ‘tossed around’ 17 semis, toppled billboards, sheared off treetops along I-96
Recap of Thursday’s deadly tornadoes, severe wind gusts
Michigan farms demolished by tornado: ‘There wasn’t enough time to get to the basement’