Cool temps, 5,000 remain without power in region
After summer-like heat and high winds that left thousands of people without power across Michigan on Thursday, temperatures cooled and winds diminished on Friday.
Friday's high is only expected to be around 60 degrees, according to the weather service.
DTE Energy said about 76,000 customers were without power over the course of two days as the high winds swept through the region Thursday night. Consumers Energy reported about 7,000 without power late Thursday.
Amanda Knaebel, a DTE spokeswoman, said Friday the company had restored power to more than 66,000 of its customers and that about 5,000 were still without electricity. She said the majority of remaining outages are scattered across Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
Knaebel also said the company expects to have service restored to most of its customers Friday.
Among customers without power Friday is Fraser Public Schools. District officials said Friday the school system shut down Fraser High School and dismissed its students due to the power outage. All after-school athletic events are still scheduled to continue, they said.
The outage is also partially affecting Richards Middle School, which is using a generator and will operate as normal, according to the district. Its elementary schools have not been affected, it said.
Temperatures are forecast to top out in the low 60s Saturday, several degrees below normal for this time of year, weather service records show.
On Thursday, Detroit Metro Airport notched a high of 88: 17 degrees above average for the date but below a record 93 set in 1962.
Eastern Market was without power earlier Thursday with winds of 30-40 mph, but those affected areas had been restored by evening.
DTE crews are working 16 hour shifts to restore electricity, the utility said late Thursday. Most customers were expected to have their power restored Friday.
WOOD-TV reported a woman and her infant child suffered what appeared to be minor injuries when a tree branch fell on them about 10:15 a.m. Thursday in Grand Rapids. They were among a group of mothers and children at Riverside Park.
Staff Writer Mark Hicks and the Associated Press contributed to this report.