DTW’s McNamara terminal inaccessible due to flooding; more tough weather ahead

Heat and possibly more flooding are expected to come on the heels of Wednesday thunderstorms that swept through southeast Michigan, leaving thousands of power outages and closing some roads, including at Detroit Metro Airport.

The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for Livingston, Macomb and Oakland counties from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. It predicts heat indices of up to 102 degrees in those areas due to high temperatures and humidity.

Temperatures in Detroit are expected to reach 90 degrees and a low of 70, according to the agency.

Some Metro Detroit communities said they will open cooling centers to help people beat the heat.

For example, the city of Detroit is offering its public libraries and recreation centers as cooling centers during their normal business hours.

In the suburbs, Farmington Hills will open its Costick Center as a cooling station for residents and non-residents from 7 a.m. through 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The center is at 28600 W. 11 Mile between Middlebelt and Inkster roads.

The city of Westland is also opening some of its buildings, including city hall, the police station, fire stations and recreation centers to provide residents respite from the heat.

Meanwhile, scattered thunderstorms are possible Thursday evening into the night, the weather service said. As a result, it issued a hazardous weather outlook for a second day. Hail up to 1.5 inches in size, wind gusts of about 70 mph and heavy rainfall are expected. The agency predicts 1-2 inches of rain could fall hourly.

Meteorologists with the service also said an isolated tornado can't be ruled out and the likeliest time for the storm to reach the area is between 3-9 p.m.

Adding to the area's weather woes, the weather service has also issued a flood warning Thursday for Livingston, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties. The warning is in effect until 3:45 p.m. and covers communities such as Ann Arbor, Southfield, Monroe, Ypsilanti, Howell, Milford, Milan, Dundee, Fowlerville, Pinckney and Carleton.

Meteorologists with the weather service said 2-6 inches of rain have fallen over the area since Wednesday. They said up to another inch is possible in places covered by the warning.

That follows rains that have already resulted in flooding and prompted officials to close roads in some spots.

Michigan Department of Transportation officials said Thursday that Interstate 275 at I-94 in Romulus has been closed because of flooding.

Detroit Metro Airport said that some of its roadways are also flooded after Wednesday's rains.

"Currently, travelers cannot access the McNamara Terminal due to flooding in the Dingell Drive tunnels," it said in a statement. "Customers with flights operating out of the McNamara Terminal are encouraged to contact their airlines with any questions about their flight status. More information will be provided as soon as it's available."

Wednesday's storms also resulted in power outages in the region. DTE Energy said 98% of its customers had service as of 7:30 a.m. Thursday, but more than 43,000 were in the dark. Consumers Energy reported 99% of its customers had electricity but 4,000 were without service.