We’re expecting multiple lines of thunderstorms today in Southeast Michigan -- and some of them have the potential to be strong or severe.
There will be a line of storms moving in by the early afternoon, and then another one around 4 or 5 p.m., persisting into the evening. Here’s more from Brandon Roux:
We’ll see garden variety showers and isolated storms through the afternoon. There will be a better chance for heavier rain and stronger storms after 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. as a cold front gets closer and closer.
The Storm Prediction Center has put most of Metro Detroit in a marginal risk for severe weather this afternoon, which is the lowest risk on their scale. Parts of our West and South Zones are in a slight risk for severe storms through the late afternoon and evening, which is a slightly better chance for more stronger storm cells.
The main threats during the storms will be damaging winds and isolated tornadoes with heavy downpours and deadly lightning. The worst of the weather today will be down into Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana to our south with a tornado outbreak a possibility down there.
LIVE RADAR: Storms to move through Southeast Michigan
Again, we will be watching this very closely keeping you aware of what is coming. We ask all of you to keep an eye to the skies, especially in the late afternoon into the evening.
Could there be power outages?
Power outages are possible in every severe weather situation, but even in thunderstorms that aren’t considered severe.
A Wind Advisory was issued for all of Southeast Michigan for Thursday at 8 a.m. through 8 p.m.
Safety tips during a storm
- Stay at least 20 feet away from downed power lines and anything they are in contact with, including puddles of water and fences. Keep children and pets away too.
- Be extremely cautious near metal fences, which conduct electricity, following a severe storm. Electric current will be the strongest where a downed power line is touching a metal fence. Even a connecting fence several backyards away can be energized and dangerous.
- Never cross yellow barrier tape. It may be around downed power lines.
- Never drive across downed power lines. If a power line falls on your vehicle, remain inside your car until emergency help arrives.
- A live power line may spark and whip around as it looks for a ground. A ground is the earth or something touching the earth, like a fence or a tree. A live wire that has found its ground may lie silently, but it is still dangerous. Report a downed power line online, on the DTE Energy Mobile App or call us immediately at 800.477.4747.
- Cable or telephone lines can be energized if they come in contact with electrical lines. Contact with any energized power line can be fatal.
- Never use a portable generator inside a home or business. It emits carbon monoxide, which can be deadly. Keep it outside, away from windows and doors, so the fumes won’t come in.
What do the Marginal, Slight, Enhanced, Moderate, and High risk categories for severe weather mean?
Marginal, Slight, Enhanced, Moderate, and High risks represent progressively larger threats for organized severe storm episodes. Here’s a breakdown:
Thunderstorms (light green) - General or non-severe thunderstorms - Delineates, to the right of a line, where a 10% or greater probability of thunderstorms is forecast during the valid period.
1-Marginal (dark green) - Marginal risk - An area of severe storms of either limited organization and longevity, or very low coverage and marginal intensity.
2-Slight (yellow) - Slight risk - An area of organized severe storms, which is not widespread in coverage with varying levels of intensity.
3-Enhanced (orange) - Enhanced risk - An area of greater (relative to Slight risk) severe storm coverage with varying levels of intensity.
4-Moderate (red) - Moderate risk - An area where widespread severe weather with several tornadoes and/or numerous severe thunderstorms is likely, some of which should be intense. This risk is usually reserved for days with several supercells producing intense tornadoes and/or very large hail, or an intense squall line with widespread damaging winds.
5-High (magenta) - High risk - An area where a severe weather outbreak is expected from either numerous intense and long-tracked tornadoes or a long-lived derecho-producing thunderstorm complex that produces hurricane-force wind gusts and widespread damage. This risk is reserved for when high confidence exists in widespread coverage of severe weather with embedded instances of extreme severe (i.e., violent tornadoes or very damaging convective wind events).
ALSO SEE: Watches, warnings, risks: Understanding Michigan’s severe weather alert terms