Storm relief is on its way across the region, but some households could be without power for days.
“The wind gusts are very strong, here, in Rudyard,” resident Laura Hadd said. “This morning, the power went off and on for about a half hour. Crews have been working on the lines at the bridge for a couple hours. Skies are dark and gusts are high. I see a tree uprooted across the street from me.”
According to the National Weather Service website, a chance of rain and snow showers is possible after 4 p.m. in Sault Ste. Marie.
Skies will remain cloudy, with a high of around 52 degrees. Southwest winds will continue blowing at around 25 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph. Snow showers are likely between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. Temperatures should be about 21 degrees. Winds will blow from the west and remain breezy at 20 to 25 mph. Gusts could remain as high as 45 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%.
Less than a half inch of snow is predicted.
The most recent update from Cloverland Electric Cooperative was received at 2 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, reporting restoration efforts to be ongoing.
Crews have been working all day, battling high winds, in attempt to restore 9,500 power outages over 150 locations across its five county service territory. Restoration efforts could take multiple days.
“It is definitely windy and there are gusts moving trees,” said Sault Ste. Marie resident Sandy Lahti. The wind is milder than earlier, but we’re still getting pretty strong gusts. You can hear the wind outside from indoors.”
“Around my house it’s very windy,” said Jennifer Tyson of Kincheloe. “A few lawn decorations blew down to other houses. It’s very windy. Trash cans have blown away.”
Chippewa County 911 Central Dispatch Operations Manager Tammy Peyton said the phone lines have been busy all morning and afternoon, heading into the evening hours. Reports of down power lines and branches have caused power outages and some fires.
