JACKSON, Mich. (AP) - Winter has arrived in Michigan with an icy blast, sending freezing rain across a wide section of the Lower Peninsula and knocking out electrical service to 294,000 homes and businesses.
The state's largest utilities say it will be days before most of those blacked out get their power back because of the difficulty of working around ice-broken lines.
Jackson-based CMS Energy Corp. says that 175,000 of its power customers lost service, and at least 155,000 remained off line Sunday morning. Detroit-based DTE Energy Co. says work is underway to restore service to 119,000 blacked-out customers and says that number could rise as more reports come in.
The National Weather Service says snow is falling in some areas, with temperatures in the mid-teens to upper 30s.
