87K customers in the dark after storms that brought rain, hail, wind

More than 87,000 customers were without power early Friday after swift, severe thunderstorms swept southeast Michigan the day before with downpours, large hail and high winds.

DTE Energy reported more than 74,000 power outages scattered across Metro Detroit, with large clusters near Waterford Township, Ann Arbor, Novi and Imlay City.

The total had peaked around 90,000 late Thursday.

"Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible to restore power to everyone impacted by the extreme weather that hit Southeast Michigan. We estimate that 80% of impacted customers will be restored by end of day Friday, July 21. We know how challenging it is to be without power," the utility said.

"Please be safe and remain at least 25 feet away from downed power lines or anything in contact with them. Assume any downed line is live and dangerous."

Consumers Energy reported outages affecting more than 13,200 customers across the state, with large clusters between Lansing and Flint. The figure had fallen from nearly 20,000 earlier.

Restoration efforts should unfold under calmer conditions Friday, when partly sunny skies and highs near 80 are expected. Saturday also is forecast to be mostly clear and warm, with temperatures rising to the mid 80s in the day and falling to the 60s at night.

Thursday's turbulence was fueled by warmth and humidity. Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus notched a high of 88, National Weather Service records show.

A line of storms rolled through the region by 4 p.m. as part of a squall line associated with a cold front.

Squall lines, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are groups of storms arranged in a line, often accompanied by gusts of high wind and heavy rain. Squall lines tend to pass quickly and are less prone to produce tornadoes.

The storms packed a powerful punch.

The weather service reported wind gusts across the region, including 49 mph at Port Huron’s Fort Gratiot Lighthouse, 52 mph at Lake St Clair Metropark, 57 mph near Grosse Pointe and 62 mph at Detroit Metro Airport.

Hail was reported at 1.75-2.75 inches in Davison, 1 inch in Mount Morris and Burton, and 1.5 inches near Grand River and Southfield Road.

Hail at least 1 inch in diameter fell in Allen Park, Ann Arbor, Mount Clemens, Ypsilanti, St. Clair Shores, Northville, Lapeer and Oxford, according to the weather service.

In hard-hit Genesee County, the Todd Wenzel Buick GMC Of Davison dealership "sustained damage to a large portion of our inventory and our building," officials said on the business' Facebook page. "We are open and can continue to service and sell vehicles, but ask that you please have patience with us as we take steps to repair the damage. Our thoughts are with all of those in the same situation after today’s storm."

Meanwhile, trees toppled in Livingston, Oakland, St. Clair and Washtenaw counties, downing power lines in spots.

Fox 2 reported a toppled tree sparked a fire at a home in Warren. In Byron, dispatchers reported a large tree had fallen on a house, according to the weather service.

As much as 1.25 inches of rain fell in Garden City. A waterspout also was spotted east of New Baltimore over Anchor Bay and roof damage was reported in downtown Port Huron.

The Great Lakes Water Authority warned residents in low-lying areas prone to flooding during heavy rainfall "to remain vigilant and out of an abundance of caution, to remove items of value from their basements."

"It is also extremely helpful if residents do not run their washing machines and dishwashers during heavy rain events," it said.

The conditions prompted organizers of the Ann Arbor Art Fair to close for about 90 minutes.

"Thank you all for working with us to stay safe during today’s storm," officials said on the event's Facebook page.

The storm followed twisters that touched down in Michigan last week — a 90 mph EF1 in southwest Michigan, and an 85 mph EF0 in the Thumb region, both damaging property and downing trees, weather officials said.

On Tuesday, the Mackinac Bridge Authority reported that a large waterspout was spotted off the north anchor pier of the Mackinac Bridge at about 11:10 a.m.

Lily Chapman, a meteorologist with the weather service in Marquette, said waterspouts are not unusual in the Great Lakes region.