DETROIT – A winter storm has reached Southeast Michigan on Friday, and strong winds could cause power outages.
On Friday, Dec. 23, winds will blow at 24-40 mph and will gust to 50-60 mph at times. Such winds can affect power lines, and can knock tree limbs down onto power lines.
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The region is under a winter storm warning until 4 a.m. Saturday.
As of 6:40 p.m. on Friday, more than 7,400 DTE Energy customers were without power in Southeast Michigan -- that’s about .20% of all DTE customers.
You can see DTE’s outage map right here.
We’ll continue to update this article with outage information, should more outages occur.
Dangerous winds mean that it isn’t safe for crews to be up high and working on power lines -- so any outages could take a while to address.
Report an outage to DTE here. Report an outage to Consumers Energy here.
Safety tips during a storm
- Stay at least 20 feet away from downed power lines and anything they are in contact with, including puddles of water and fences. Keep children and pets away too.
- Be extremely cautious near metal fences, which conduct electricity, following a severe storm. Electric current will be the strongest where a downed power line is touching a metal fence. Even a connecting fence several backyards away can be energized and dangerous.
- Never cross yellow barrier tape. It may be around downed power lines.
- Never drive across downed power lines. If a power line falls on your vehicle, remain inside your car until emergency help arrives.
- A live power line may spark and whip around as it looks for a ground. A ground is the earth or something touching the earth, like a fence or a tree. A live wire that has found its ground may lie silently, but it is still dangerous. Report a downed power line online, on the DTE Energy Mobile App or call us immediately at 800-477-4747.
- Cable or telephone lines can be energized if they come in contact with electrical lines. Contact with any energized power line can be fatal.
- Never use a portable generator inside a home or business. It emits carbon monoxide, which can be deadly. Keep it outside, away from windows and doors, so the fumes won’t come in.