CALEDONIA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Cleanup is underway across West Michigan after storms rushed through Thursday night, prompting severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado warnings and a radar-confirmed tornado near Freeport.
Thursday’s storms — the second night of storms in a row — brought down more trees and power lines, causing outages across the area.
Thousands without power after more storms roll through
Sturgis reported the strongest wind gusts in West Michigan, with peak gusts approaching 60 mph. Lansing saw 51 mph winds and Kalamazoo saw 46 mph winds, according to data from Storm Team 8.
ReportIt: Send us your photos
Early Friday morning, crews were working to replace a power pole at Saskatoon Golf Club in the area of 92nd Street SE and Vincent Avenue SE in Caledonia Township — near where the rotation was spotted on radar northwest of Hastings around 9:35 p.m. Thursday.
Slightly to the north, in the area of Whitneyville Avenue SE and 84th Street SE, News 8 saw firefighters responding to a tree down on a power line Thursday night, which sparked a small fire. The owner of the nearby home was unharmed, though he said some of his siding may have been damaged by the fire.
In Cooper Township, crews pulled someone from a vehicle after a tree fell, trapping them inside.
Drivers should look out for trees and power lines on the road. If you see a downed power line, assume it’s energized and stay at least 25 feet away. You should report it by calling 911 and then Consumers Energy at 800.477.5050…