United States: A formidable storm front roared across Michigan, lashing the state with tempestuous winds and plunging thousands into darkness as electrical grids faltered in multiple regions.

Tornado advisories ignited alarms in Livingston, northeastern Saginaw, southern Bay, and southeastern Midland counties until shortly before 1 am, with Saginaw County’s warning lasting until the top of the hour. These alerts have since lapsed.

As dawn approached Friday, nearly 200,000 Consumers Energy patrons found themselves without power, as revealed by the utility’s outage portal. The core of these outages appeared to concentrate from west Michigan to a diagonal band that stretched between Kalamazoo and Ann Arbor. DTE Energy reported comparatively fewer impacts, noting approximately 1,000 clients in the dark, according to detroitnews.com.

By 10:30 pm, the National Weather Service had sounded urgent tornado warnings across parts of Kent (northeast and southern), Montcalm (northwest), Eaton (northeast), Allegan (northeast), Ionia (southern), and Barry (northeast) counties. A separate alert included Ingham County, remaining active until 12:15 am Friday.

The advisories pointed to radar-confirmed supercells with tornado potential sweeping eastward.

Calhoun County’s northeastern stretch also found itself under a tornado alert as the storm intensified.

Officials pleaded with residents to stay away from windows and take immediate refuge in basements or fortified internal rooms on the lowest floor possible. The warnings emphasized the vulnerability of mobile homes, predicting structural obliteration and perilous airborne shrapnel for anyone not securely sheltered.

In Metro Detroit, thunderheads loomed, with robust and volatile storm lines predicted to barrel through the region up until 3 am Friday. The forecast called for hailstones up to 1.5 inches and fierce gales reaching 70 mph, with tornadoic activity “particularly along and west of US-23.” The system was hurtling northeastward at a brisk 45 mph. A tornado watch was in force until 5 am, as per detroitnews.com.

A broader tornado watch covered 37 counties sprawled across western and central Lower Michigan, though it ceased at 3 am Friday.

Another volley of volatile and potentially severe storms was anticipated by Friday evening and overnight.

Additionally, severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for Benzie, Manistee, Van Buren, Allegan, Ottawa, Mason, Muskegon, and Oceana counties. Authorities forecast gusts as strong as 70 mph and hail the size of golf balls pelting these zones.

“Outdoor beings—both human and animal—face high risk,” the NWS cautioned. “Anticipate considerable hail-related wreckage to rooftops, sidings, glass panes, and automobiles. Widespread arboreal devastation and roof damage—particularly for trailers and auxiliary structures—are highly likely.”

In its Severe Weather Outlook, the NWS flagged hailstones of one inch or larger as the principal threat, though it noted that tornado formations “cannot be eliminated.”

Regions across southwestern, west-central, and south-central Lower Michigan were labeled as “enhanced peril,” while the rest of the state was evaluated under “moderate caution.”

Consumers Energy affirmed it had marshaled over 500 repair teams, poised to tackle outages and restore critical infrastructure.

According to meteorological projections, a subsequent line of storms, ranging from vigorous to marginally intense, is expected to materialize Friday evening and linger into the night as a trailing cold front traverses the state. Hail is again a concern, particularly for the southwest.

Daytime highs on Friday could push into the 80s, with cooler, breezier conditions rolling in by Saturday. Wind bursts may reach up to 40 mph.

As the weekend concludes, frigid air may make a comeback. By Sunday night, subfreezing temperatures are possible in parts of Lower Michigan, especially north of US-10, with frost expected to settle in.