DETROIT – Severe weather took its toll on Labor Day festivities across Metro Detroit, and there are 4,000 DTE Energy customers without power.
Organizers for events such as the Detroit Jazz Festival and Ford Arts, Beats & Eats were updating people in real time on social media while thunderstorms moved across Southeast Michigan.
The severe thunderstorm watch issued for most of Metro Detroit was lifted hours earlier than expected, but the storms still packed a punch.
"I'm disappointed, but I understand why they did it," one resident said.
Across Metro Detroit, festivals were forced to pause as thunderstorms rolled through.
In Downtown Detroit, organizers of the Jazz Festival urged people to take cover as performances were initially delayed. But by 8:30 p.m., the final acts were canceled.
Heavy rain, strong winds and lightning picked up around 5:30 p.m. Monday.
In Royal Oak, a little rain didn't wash out Arts, Beats & Eats.
"It just started raining like crazy, so we just walked over to Fifth Avenue, and then we just sat in there, got a table and chilled," one woman said.
About 10,000 people were evacuated just after 6 p.m. Monday. Gates reopened around 8 p.m., and fans flooded back in.
"There were no injuries or incidents," said Jon Witz, co-founder of Arts, Beats & Eats. "The storm wasn't quite as bad as we thought, but it was a little longer in duration. Safety always rules over business."
Mother Nature might have caught some by surprise, but for many, it only added to the experience.
"If you're a real Detroiter, you ought to know, it's going to rain, it's going to snow, it's going to not," another resident said.
Many people said even if performances were delayed or canceled, it was still a spectacular long weekend of enjoying festivals and outdoor events.
You can watch Priya Mann's full story in the video posted above.