Updated Wednesday at 10:38 a.m.
The impact of last night severe thunderstorms in Mid-Michigan is coming into focus today as officials investigate a possible tornado and residents grapple with power outages and damage.
- The National Weather Service is investigating a possible tornado that may have touched down during severe weather in the Carson City–Middleton area last night.
- NWS meteorologist Brandon Hoving says the Grand Rapids office issued 11 tornado warnings and 11 severe thunderstorm warnings overnight. They have two different survey teams assessing damage and are talking to eyewitnesses in Allegan, Barry and Montcalm Counties. This includes the Carson City area, as well as just east of the Gerald Ford Airport near Grand Rapids.
- School officials in Middleton have closed Fulton Middle and High School due to storm damage.
- Photos shared on social media show fallen debris on roadways, and a gas station in Middleton also sustained damage from the storm, according to Fox 47 News.
- Consumers Energy’s outage map shows hundreds of customers between Carson City and Middleton were without power as of 10:15 a.m. Wednesday. Additional clusters of outages have been reported near Laingsburg and along the north side of I‑94 from Allegan to Chelsea. In total, nearly 40,000 customers are without power, with estimated restoration times varying throughout the day.
- The outages are also impacting public services. Meridian Township officials say phone and network services have been disrupted due to the storms. Residents are being advised to delay any business with the township until after noon Wednesday.
This is a developing story.
Consumers Energy is a financial supporter of WKAR.