Panic in Michigan as severe thunderstorms causes widespread DTE power outages for 400,000

Almost 400,000 people have been left without power in Michigan amid extreme heat and severe storms.

Power went out in homes across two dozen counties on Tuesday night, and according to poweroutage.us, some 340,476 customers are still impacted as of Wednesday morning.

The bulk of the homes impacted are connected to DTE Energy, based in Detroit, prompting fierce backlash from customers.

Extraordinary videos show the storm destroying power lines and downing trees as heavy winds and intense rain hammers parts of the state. 

One video shows lightning strikes lighting up a highway, appearing almost directly on top of a motorist, while photos show cars crushed by trees which have fallen across residential streets.

Almost 400,000 people have been left without power in Michigan amid extreme heat and severe storms

One video shows lightning strikes lighting up a highway, appearing almost directly on top of a motorist

'Tuesday's storm caused many downed wires in Southeast Michigan,' the company said in a statement to X.

'Nearly 800 additional contract crews are on their way to Michigan to assist with restoration and restoration updates will be added to the DTE outage map once they are available.'  

Furious customers have raised questions about why it is taking so long to restore power.

One said: 'You legitimately can't take 2 f***ing days to repair it, all our groceries are gonna spoil and we won't have air conditioning, you HAVE to get it done quicker.'

Others said it was ironic that DTE was still emailing customers their bills, while they were enduring an outage.

Photos show cars crushed by trees which have fallen across residential streets

Extraordinary videos show the storm destroying power lines and downing trees as heavy winds and intense rain hammers parts of the state

'200,000+ people have been without power for over 12 hours now. WHY IS THE NUMBER NOT DECREASING????????? Our food is spoiled. People can’t work from home. No fans or A/C when it’s in the mid 80s and humid. Our pets are suffering.'

'They charge every user a fee every month for a "power recovery charge" which is so when outages happens they can fix it, at least that's their explanation, so why am I without power for 5 hours?'

DTE acknowledged 'how frustrating power outages can be, especially today, when we’re all so reliant on electricity to live, work and play' and assured customers crews are working tirelessly to restore power.

Some 116,000 customers with Consumers Energy are also still without power.

Power went out in homes across two dozen counties on Tuesday night

One video showed a transformer exploding in the distance

Extraordinary videos show the storm destroying power lines and downing trees as heavy winds and intense rain hammers parts of the state

The company has urged customers near Larkin Township Hall or Courtland Township Hall to 'stop by for water and ice at 1pm' and said people impacted by the outages should consider 'enjoying time at your local library.'

'Many of our neighbors around Michigan are waking up in homes without electricity this morning. 

'Yesterday’s weather packed a big punch, with wind gusts reaching 75 mph in many locations.'

Crews have since restored power to 30 per cent of their impacted network, and there are 350 more teams at sites around the state continuing to work to fix the problem.  

'Our efforts to restore power will continue until everyone affected has their lights back on. 

'If you or a loved one is without power today, please take precautions to stay cool. Wear loose fitting clothing. Drink lots of water.'

The outages have prompted several schools, including Farwell Area Schools, Pine River Area Schools and Clare Public Schools to cancel classes on Wednesday. 

The region is grappling with an intense heatwave expected to last several more days.