Schools closed in Pontiac, Southfield Friday due to heat, officials say

Schools in Pontiac and Southfield are closed Friday due to forecasted high temperatures, officials said.

The Pontiac School District announced Thursday night that it was canceling classes Friday because of the weather.

"Due to the extreme heat index there will be no school tomorrow," officials said in a notice on the district's website and Facebook page. "Please note that the (Patient Care Technician Program) clinical finals will still take place tomorrow. Buses will pick up and drop off PCT students at their homes and will be notified shortly of the times."

Meanwhile, Southfield Public Schools said Thursday it was also telling its students to stay home Friday due to the heat.

"Due to increased heat, Southfield Public Schools will be closed on Friday, June 2, 2023," officials said on the district's website. "This closure includes all schools, school-related activities, and evening activities. Please stay safe, and have a wonderful weekend!"

Earlier this week, Detroit Public Schools Community District announced it was dismissing its students three hours earlier Thursday and Friday because of the heat.

Temperatures around Metro Detroit are expected to reach about 90 degrees Friday, about 10 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service. Temps are expected to drop into the upper 80s Saturday and upper 70s-lower 80s Sunday. The normal average June temperature in Detroit is 79.7 degrees.

An air quality alert is in effect for Genesee, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Shiawassee, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties, according to the weather service. The alert means pollutants are expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups, especially those with respiratory issues.

Friday's school closures come in tandem with the closure of two elementary schools in the Waterford School District, Haviland and Knudsen. Both schools also were closed Thursday following reports of power outages in Waterford Township.

As of 8 a.m. Friday, more than 2,500 were without power near Elizabeth Lake between Elizabeth Lake and Cass Elizabeth roads, according to an outage map on DTE Energy's website.

The utility cited "equipment problems" as the cause, noting that customers were without power since May 30.

An estimated time for power restoration was immediately unavailable, the utility's website noted.

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Twitter: @CharlesERamirez