NORTHERN MICHIGAN —Continuous storms bringing rain, snow and high winds have contributed to power outages across Northern Michigan.
On Tuesday night, more than 7,000 power outages hit the region, with Crawford, Emmet, Kalkaska and Otsego counties seeing the most outages.
Brett Streby, GLE communications and marketing director, said Wednesday morning that 8,300 people are still without power in the coverage area.
Emmet County currently has the most outages, with 2,800 customers without power as of 9:15 a.m. Streby said most of the outages in the southern region have been taken care of, but the company is mobilizing north to restore power. He described an “all-hands on deck approach to restoring service to all of our members in the north,” calling in reinforcements from other electric companies and contractors as needed.
While he was unable to give an estimated timeline for when power will be restored, Streby said he encourages people to leave line workers to focus on restoring power.
According to Eleanor Dhuyvetter, meteorologist at the Gaylord National Weather Service, Northern Michigan saw gusts of wind that reached more than 50 miles per hour Tuesday night.
Petoskey saw winds closer to around 35 miles per hour.
The Mackinac Bridge was partially closed to high-profile vehicles on Tuesday evening, and a wind escort remained in effect on Wednesday morning.
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Dhuyvetter said the weather should be calmer on Thursday, but residents can expect some winds and a potential mix of rain and snow. She said wind speeds are expected to have a few gusts closer to 20-25 miles per hour.
Charlevoix Public Schools closed in response to the power outages.Rudyard Area Schools had a two-hour delayed start due to slick roads.
Consumers Energy was not immediately available for comment.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com.Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
