UNDATED (WKZO-AM) — It was not the weather we were warned about.
Instead of the start of a heat wave, stormy weather blew through west Michigan, causing random acts of violence but no reports of injuries. It also brought welcome relief in the form of rain and cooler temperatures to a parched southern peninsula.
It may not be over, another line of storms may be headed our way Friday night.
A “gustnado” is blamed for knocking over a trailer, a swing set and a couple of pine trees in Hamilton, which is in southern Allegan County.
Gusts of up to 50 mph are blamed for a number of trees taking out powerlines, causing blackouts for hundreds of people who live along the Interstate 94 and U.S. 131 corridors.
Consumers Energy crews are working to restore power. The largest outages remain in Calhoun County. They are projecting that their crews will have most of the outages restored this evening.
One tree fell on a pickup near Scotts in Kalamazoo County, a tree fell on a home in Jenison and a lumber company in southern Kent County lost part of its roof. Three full-sized trees are down between Bangor and Grand Junction.
Forecasters say it may have delayed the start of the heat wave but it will not prevent it from setting in on Friday. They are still predicting ambient temperatures in the 90s and, when combined with the humidity, heat indexes over 100 degrees.
