Close to 350,000 utility customers in Michigan's Lower Peninsula were without power Tuesday evening after a storm system swept across the state starting in the early afternoon.
Consumers Energy reported about 153,000 customers hit by the outages, and DTE Energy reported about 197,000.
"We know how challenging it is to be without power," DTE Energy said in a message on its Outage Map website. "Our Storm Response Teams are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service to customers — and we're bringing in 600 crews from outside our area to help speed restoration."
The utility companies warned people to stay at least 25 feet away from downed wires.
The National Weather Service issued a succession of severe thunderstorm warnings throughout the afternoon on Tuesday as the line of storms moved across the state. The weather service said damaging hail and winds gusts up to about 70 miles an hour were expected in Detroit and other parts of southeast Michigan.
The storms came on a day when excessive heat — with heat indices reaching about 105 degrees — was also interrupting the start of the school year in some areas of the state. Grand Rapids Public Schools canceled classes Tuesday, and the Detroit Public Schools Community District dismissed students three hours early to avoid the worst of the heat.
