KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Severe thunderstorms ripped through Southwest Michigan on Wednesday, August 3, causing widespread damage across multiple counties, knocking down trees, knocking out power, and just plain making it hazardous to be outside.
Wednesday’s weather event prompted severe thunderstorm warnings as weather forecasters kept an eye out for possible tornados.
All of this followed a day filled with severe heat and humidity with temps in the 90s along with heat indexes into the 100s.
Allegan County was hit particularly hard as the fast moving storm toppled trees, broke power lines, and damaged buildings, especially in the city of Otsego where a power outage shut down all traffic lights and heavy rain caused streets to flood, stranding a motorist for a few minutes on Washington Street outside Otsego High School.
More than 84,000 homes and businesses lost power according to the Consumers Energy outage map as of 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, August 3.
Winds speeds up to 60 mph were recorded in the city of Kalamazoo and surrounding areas as storms left behind debris, damage to homes and cars, and power outages to many in the Kalamazoo area and beyond.
Other cities where winds were gusty include Allegan with 55 mph gusts recorded there. They were up to 45 mph in Saint Joseph, and 40 mph in Dowling.
Consumer Energy Crews are reminding people to stay at least 25 feet away from downed power lines, keep children and pets away, and report downed power lines and other issues by calling 9-1-1.
More information on this, outage maps, and other safety tips can be found on their website at consumersenergy.com.
