weather

(September 7, 2021 10:00 PM) Consumers Energy crews will be working through the night after waves of storms carrying over 60 mph winds swept across Michigan on Tuesday. Over 75,000 homes and businesses were affected. “We are grateful for the patience of our neighbors, from Kalamazoo and Battle Creek to Midland and Saginaw, after these storms knocked over trees and damaged poles and equipment,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations. “Our crews and contractors were prepared for this bad weather. They are already starting to restore power and will be working around the clock.” Storms moved through Michigan, starting in the Traverse City area, starting Tuesday morning and continuing through nightfall. Consumers Energy expects the majority of customers will be restored by Thursday. In Jackson County, as of 10 PM, approximately 700 customers are affected.  To the west, more than 20,000 customers in Calhoun and Kalamazoo Counties are without power.  The National Weather Service recorded wind gusts of 39 MPH at Reynolds Field, Jackson County Airport during the strongest storms around 8 PM. DTE Energy is reporting as of 10 PM more than 75,000 of their customers are without power as a result of the storms…

A fallen tree across roadway took down power lines during storms.  Consumers Energy photo. (August 13, 2021 11:47 AM) Consumers Energy has now restored power to more than 200,000 Michigan homes and businesses following this week’s severe weather, and crews today are continuing their around-the-clock work in communities all over the Lower Peninsula. Consumers Energy aims to restore power to another 100,000 customers through midnight Friday. Most homes and businesses should have power by late Saturday night and almost all restoration work completed by the end of the weekend.  As of 11:45 AM today, there are 20,431 Jackson County customers without power.  The company expects that number will lower more significantly today. “These storms hit Michigan hard, but we are working tirelessly to get our customers back up and running,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations. “We are grateful for our customers’ patience and want them to know we’ll keep working until the power is back on for everyone.” Consumers Energy crews are joined by contractors from across Michigan and seven states, including as far away as Missouri, New York and Tennessee. In all, about 370,000 homes and businesses that Consumers Energy serves lost power at…

(August 13, 2021 10:04 AM) The City of Jackson is opening its two recreation centers to residents who do not have power or water following this week’s severe weather. The Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center and the Boos Recreation Center will both be open on Friday, Aug. 13 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The centers are being made available to residents who are without power and need a cool place to spend time. Bottled water will also be provided by Consumers Energy. Because there is a mask requirement for all City facilities, masks and hand sanitizer will be made available to visitors. The City is only planning on having the centers open on Friday, but will update the community if any changes are made. The MLK Center is located at 1107 Adrian St. and the Boos Center is located at 210 Gilbert. St. The Jackson YMCA is opening the locker rooms and showers free of charge to all in the community today through Saturday. Community members will need to complete a waiver and show photo ID; first-time visitors under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  Consumers Energy will provide a case of water to each…

Jackson area outage map as of 10:25 PM. (August 12, 2021 10:27 PM) Consumers Energy crews plus contractors from Michigan and seven other states are nearing the halfway mark late Thursday in their all-hands-on-deck push to restore power to over 371,000 homes and businesses affected by this week’s severe weather. Over 550 three- and four-person crews remain at work around the clock and will work through the night heading into Friday. Their goal: Restore power to most homes and businesses by late Saturday night and finish almost all of their work by the end of the weekend. As of 9:45 p.m. Thursday, about 187,000 customers remained without power – the result of a storm system over three days that brought down trees, damaged equipment and downed 4,500 wires. “This has been a busy week for our lineworkers and those who have joined us from as far away as New York and Missouri. We’re encouraged to see their progress and plan to keep up the pace to get the lights back on,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations. “We are grateful for the patience of our friends and neighbors, and want them to know we won’t stop…

(UPDATED August 12, 2021 5:52 PM) Consumers Energy crews and contractors along with crews from seven states have restored power to more than 130,000 customers in the wake of three waves of this week’s severe storm system in Michigan that brought down trees, damaged poles, downed 4,500 wires and knocked out service to more than 369,000 electric customers since Tuesday night. “These three days of storm activity ranks among the top 10 storms in our company’s 135-year history,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations. “I could not be more impressed by the patience shown by our customers affected by these damaging waves of storms, and I want them to know we will not stop working extended shifts day and night until our restoration is complete and the lights are back on for every one of our customers.” A majority of 230,000 customers without electric service as of 4 p.m. are expected to be restored by late Saturday night with storm restoration efforts continuing through the weekend. Additional storm activity could extend restoration times. As of 5:50 PM, 22,200 Jackson County customers are without power.  Consumers Energy spokesman Brian Wheeler told JTV News restoration will be continuing…

(August 12, 2021 10:49 AM) Boardman Road between N. Wisner Street and N. West Avenue is closed due to flooding from heavy rain.  This area will be closed through the rest of the day as flood waters recede and stranded vehicles are removed. Outback Steakhouse is in the flood area, and appears to be the only business impacted. This is the border of the City of Jackson and Blackman Township, so the City of Jackson Dept. of Public Works has put up road closed signs around the flood area. Residents are asked to avoid this area. As of 10:45 AM, Eastbound I-94 at Airport Road Exit 137 is closed due to water over the roadway.  I-94 has had intermittent closures at various locations throughout the overnight and morning hours as crews work to drain affected areas. The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Advisory for Jackson County until 12:30 PM.  The NWS reports  3.8” of rainfall at Jackson County Airport since 7 PM yesterday. Throughout Jackson County, downed power lines and trees have blocked various roadways as crews work to clear debris from overnight storms. Consumers Energy reports 240,000 customers remain without power statewide from two days of severe…

For Thursday 5:50 PM Update, click here. (UPDATED August 12, 2021 7:31 AM) Bolstered by crews from seven states, Consumers Energy expects to make progress today in restoring power to over 300,000 Michigan homes and businesses that have been affected by two days of intense storms across the state.  As of 7:30 AM, 22,800 Jackson County customers are without power.  Winds in excess of 50 MPH were reported by the National Weather Service in Jackson at around 7 AM today as severe thunderstorms moved through the area. Flood warnings have been issued for Jackson and Ingham Counties as heavy rain continues to fall.  Flood warnings are also in effect in Wayne County and other areas of Southeast Michigan.  Both directions of I-94 near Airport Road were closed with water over the roadway. “We continue to be grateful for the patience of our friends and neighbors as we work to bring the lights back on,” said Guy Packard, Consumers Energy’s vice president for electric operations. “The storms that have struck our state should finally subside today, and we are confident that over 500 crews from Michigan and across the country will help bring back power to many of our customers.” Crews…

(June 20, 2021 1:04 PM) Mother Nature may deliver an unwanted Father’s Day gift to parts of Michigan later today, bringing the potential for violent weather, including tornadoes, hail, high and/or straight line winds and heavy rain.  The southwest, southern and eastern areas of the state are expected to be hardest hit by two rounds of expected storms, one late this afternoon/early evening and the other later during the overnight hours. The National Weather Service is forecasting showers and thunderstorms this evening and overnight. Some of the storms could be severe and produce heavy rainfall.  The Weather Service is expecting two periods for strong to severe storms, the first being this evening from 6 pm till midnight, then a second period from midnight to 5 am. The greatest threat is damaging winds, hail and tornados.  Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible. Consumers Energy, in an advisory this afternoon, offers preparation tips for potential severe weather: Charge all electronic devices. It’s advised to have an emergency battery or charging station available for use during an outage. Have an emergency kit that includes flashlights and extra batteries, water, canned food and blankets. Be prepared…

(February 16,2021 6:09 AM) The National Weather Service continues the WINTER STORM WARNING through 12 PM today.  Additional snow accumulations of up to two inches are possible. Plan on slippery road conditions. Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute. The storm system currently tracking through eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania will shift further northeast causing snow to slowly come to an end through mid-morning. By tonight into Wednesday morning, low temperatures will drop below zero across the state. The NWS forecasts the high today near 14. Wind chill values as low as -8. North wind 11 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Tonight, mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around -12. Wintry weather will continue through the rest of the week with the potential for accumulating snow Thursday night into Friday. The weather service cautions if you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.