Current:Home > ContactMichigan storm with 75 mph winds leaves at least 5 dead and downs power lines; possible tornadoes reported -MarketLink
Michigan storm with 75 mph winds leaves at least 5 dead and downs power lines; possible tornadoes reported
View
Date:2025-04-18 06:37:34
Severe storms powered by winds of up to 75 mph in Michigan downed trees, tore roofs off buildings and killed five people while leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power, officials said. The National Weather Service said Friday some of the damage may have been caused by two tornadoes.
In western Michigan, the Kent County Sheriff's Office said a 21-year-old woman and two girls, ages 1 and 3, died Thursday night after two vehicles collided head-on as it was raining.
"There was two vehicles traveling toward each other. One hydroplaned on water and it was occupied by four people," Sgt. Eric Brunner told WZZM-TV.
The sheriff's office said a 22-year-old Gowen man who was driving the car carrying the Gowen woman and two girls was seriously injured in the crash, which occurred when his car struck an SUV. That vehicle's driver suffered minor injuries.
In Lansing, the state capital, one person died Thursday night after a tree fell on a home. Lansing Police Department spokeswoman Jordan Gulkis told the Lansing State Journal that firefighters extricated one person from the home but that person was pronounced dead at a hospital.
In nearby Ingham County, where there was a report of a possible tornado, the sheriff's office said Friday that one person was confirmed dead and several people severely injured as more than 25 vehicles were severely damaged along Interstate 96.
Trees were uprooted, and some roofs collapsed. Many roads were closed due to trees and power lines that had fallen. The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids said officials would be in the field Friday conducting damage surveys on two suspected tornadoes, in Kent and Ingham counties.
Part of the roof collapsed and shingles were ripped off an adult foster care facility near Williamston, in Ingham County.
"Once I felt that sucking, I could just feel the power of it, and I could feel it all shaking, I could feel the roof shaking and coming apart," James Gale, a caretaker of 14 people told WXYZ-TV. He said the ceiling was gone from one woman's room and she was taken to a hospital. Others were taken by buses to another facility.
About 459,000 customers in Michigan and about 206,000 in Ohio were without power as of noon on Friday, according to the Poweroutage.us website.
The storm Thursday night followed a round of heavy rain Wednesday that left areas in southeast Michigan with over 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of rain by Thursday morning, resulting in street flooding in the Detroit area, including tunnels leading to Detroit Metropolitan Airport in the suburb of Romulus, officials said. Officials reopened the airport's McNamara Terminal on Thursday afternoon. Severe storms developed in the western part of the state in the afternoon.
On Thursday afternoon, airport officials provided additional updates, saying access to the airport was restored.
Another important update to the DTW flooding situation... pic.twitter.com/OqNA7HUpKl
— DTW Airport (@DTWeetin) August 24, 2023
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center on Thursday evening to provide support to affected communities "as they respond to the impacts of flooding."
Parts of the western United States have been deluged in recent weeks with rain from Tropical Storm Hilary, and much of the central U.S. was beaten down by deadly sweltering heat. In Hawaii and Washington, emergency crews battled catastrophic wildfires.
- In:
- Weather Forecast
- Tornado
- Michigan
veryGood! (5167)
Related
- North Carolina justices rule for restaurants in COVID
- Farm laborers to receive greater protections under Biden administration proposal
- California lawmakers approve the nation’s most sweeping emissions disclosure rules for big business
- Novak Djokovic Honors Kobe Bryant in Heartfelt Speech After US Open Win
- Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
- Drew Barrymore to return amid writer's strike. Which other daytime talk shows will follow?
- NFL injuries: Will Travis Kelce return in Week 2? JK Dobbins, Jack Conklin out for season
- Man charged with aiding Whitmer kidnap plot says he should have called police
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Man charged with aiding Whitmer kidnap plot says he should have called police
Ranking
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- A Montana man who was mauled by a grizzly bear is doing well but has long recovery head, family says
- Michigan State University football coach Mel Tucker denies sexually harassing Brenda Tracy
- Teen arrested after a guard shot breaking up a fight outside a New York high school football game
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- As US East Coast ramps up offshore wind power projects, much remains unknown
- A Montana man who was mauled by a grizzly bear is doing well but has long recovery head, family says
- Malaysia’s Appeals Court upholds Najib’s acquittal in one of his 1MDB trial
Recommendation
'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
Chuck Todd signs off as host of NBC's 'Meet the Press': 'The honor of my professional life'
Ex-Bengals player Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones arrested at Cincinnati airport
Indigenous tribes urge federal officials to deny loan request for Superior natural gas plant
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
Elon Musk’s refusal to have Starlink support Ukraine attack in Crimea raises questions for Pentagon
Up First Briefing: Google on trial; Kim Jong Un in Russia; green comet sighting
Mark Meadows requests emergency stay in Georgia election interference case