© ANDY MORRISON, THE DETROIT NEWSIce forms on a string of light at a home on Grosse Ile, Wednesday, February 22, 2023.
DTE Energy had more than 262,000 customers in the dark as of 8 a.m., mainly in Wayne and Washtenaw counties. Consumers Energy, meanwhile, reported more than 199,000 customers affected by power outages as of 8 a.m. Thursday, a large jump after ice and rain continued into the night. Many were clustered between Kalamazoo and Jackson.
"For a lot of Metro Detroit, it has been several years since they've seen any type of icing of this magnitude," said Steve Considine, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service station in White Lake Township.
Matt Paul, executive vice president of distribution operations at DTE Electric which has 2.3 million customers in southeast Michigan and the Thumb, said the storm knocked down more than 2,000 power lines across its service territory. The utility has more than 1,800 crews in the field working to restore power.
The storm "created a significant amount of radial ice accumulation and we saw some up to three-quarters of an inch on our lines throughout southeast Michigan," Paul said in a 7 a.m. virtual news conference Thursday. "That's a level we have not seen in nearly 50 years."
He added that half an inch of radial ice on a single span of wire can add more than 1,000 pounds to it, the equivalent of a baby grand piano.
"We know how frustrating and impactful it can be to be without power, but I want to assure all of our customers that we're going to continue to work around the clock as quickly and as safely as we possibly can until each and every customer is restored," Paul said.
However, he said because of the storm's size and the extent of damage it caused, the electric company has no estimated timeline for when repairs will be completed and service will be restored.
Ice storms in southern Michigan aren't uncommon and can happen two to three times in a decade, but the ongoing storm Wednesday night was impactful, the weather service's Considine said.
The outage numbers showed how: the outages rose slowly at first, then exploded to nearly a half-million by 11:30 p.m. The number rivaled another storm, this one led by winds in August, when gusts topping 70 mph knocked out power to nearly a half-million people.
Consumers, which has more than 300 crews mobilized for an all-hands-on-deck restoration process, urged customers to be cautious of downed wires, keep children and pets at least 25 feet away from power lines and be patient while restoration takes place. Officials also asked the public to be alert to crews working along roads and keep a safe distance.
"Our top priority is the safety of our customers and crews, and that is why we're continuing to closely track this storm as it moves through the state, said Norm Kapala, one of Consumers Energy's officers in charge for the storm. "We were prepared for this storm and will restore power as quickly and as safely as possible. As the weather worsens and temperatures drop overnight, we're grateful for the patience and understanding of our customers."
Outages are spread throughout Metro Detroit, though concentrated in Wayne and Washtenaw counties. Outages were in Westland, where more than 11,000 are without service; Livonia, where more than 17,000 customers are without service; and the Ypsilanti area, which has more than 10,000 customers in the dark.
Michigan State Police and the Michigan Department of Transportation, meanwhile, reported dozens of crashes on area roads. There were 55 crashes across MSP's second district as of Thursday morning, which includes Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties, public information officer Lt. Michael Shaw.
"None were serious and all of them were caused by bad driving behaviors," Shaw said. "For today it (the danger) is going to be down power lines and the wind. Tonight will be bad driving behaviors along with the refreeze."
Ice totals included 0.10 in White Lake Township, 0.19 in Garden City and Pontiac, 0.20 in Howell, 0.30 in St. Clair Shores and 0.31 in Saline, the weather service said.
Areas north of Metro Detroit, meanwhile, got more snow than ice. As of Thursday morning, snowfall totals included 6.6 inches in Midland and 4.5 in Bay City, according to the weather service.
The storm prompted dozens of school districts, government offices and university campuses across southeast Michigan to either cancel classes or shut down early. The Secretary of State also closed several branch offices, including in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Pontiac City Hall closed early Wednesday.
( More here)
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