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Steamy Tuesday
Happy Tuesday! Steamy day with highs in the lower to mid 90s! Pop up storm possible this afternoon with heavy downpours, gusty winds and smaller hail! Stay cool!
DETROIT (FOX 2) - When you think of weather affecting your electricity – heavy snow and ice, thunderstorms, and strong winds may come to mind. But the heat also plays a factor and it could knock your power offline as more people draw more electricity from the grid.
It'll be another steamy day with highs in the lower to mid 90s with feel like temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, if not closer to 100.
This hot and humid trend will continue through the rest of the workweek with highs in the 90s through the weekend and daily storm chances.
As of 3:00 p.m. – just over 3,500 people were without power out of DTE's 2.3 million customers.
Check the DTE outage map and report an outage here.
DTE services much of Southeast Michigan and tracks outages based throughout the area.
On the company's website, it lists groups of customers based on color and an assigned shape. For example - a blue oval is ‘multiple’. A purple triangle shape is less than 100, blue star is 101-500, green square is 501 to 1,500, orange with two lines is 1,501-2,500, and red with a diamond is over 2,500.
The idea behind the different colors and sizes to help identify specifically when people are without power.
If your home is within one of these grids, click on it and you can see exactly how many customers are without power, when the power went out and when it should be restored – and what caused the damage.
Metro Detroit weather: Another sweltering day that will feel close to 100
Track the weather wherever you are with the FOX 2 Weather App. It's completely free and shows live radar, temperatures, incoming weather, and so much more. It also works anywhere in the world! Wherever you go, take the FOX 2 Weather App with you.
Beyond the heat causing a steep draw on the electric grid, it can also cause power lines to sag – which can start a fire and cause massive problems.
When the power is out, you need to be sure you're ready.
First, if you're without power, check to see if you're alone.
If you're a DTE Energy customer, you can do that on DTE Energy Outage Center here.
The DTE Outage Center includes real-time numbers including the percentage of customers without power, the number of customers affected, the current outages, and how many crews are working.
The outage center also includes resources to contact police and fire and a way to check to see if your home or business is already part of an outage.
Second, be safe.
Stay at least 20 feet away from downed power lines
Use caution near metal fences
If yellow barrier tape is up, it's there for a reason. Don't cross it
Don't drive over downed lines
Report a downed line if you see it on the DTE Energy Mobile App or call 800.477.4747