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Metro Detroit soaked once more as flooding, power outages plague residents

By Jack Nissen
Updated  August 12, 2021 9:06am EDT
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FOX 2 Detroit

'It was apocalyptic'; drivers brave another wet morning in Metro Detroit

Thunderstorms Thursday morning soaked Michigan again, leaving hundreds of thousands without power, and drivers to traverse a maze of flooded freeways in and out of the city.

DETROIT - Residents awoke to a familiar sound Thursday morning: pouring rain, booming thunder, and the building splashes of flooded streets. That means delays on the roadway, potentially dangerous driving scenes, and the always fearful glance downstairs to see if standing water emerged in the basement.

You could say rinse and repeat - but that would mean even more water. 

Southeast Michigan got slammed with heavy storms Thursday morning after dangerous wind gusts Wednesday afternoon knocked out power for several hundred thousand people. According to DTE and Consumers, the outlook didn't fare much better in the morning with several hundred thousand experiencing power outages.

Here is a list of every major road closure. We're updating it regularly.

There were also flash flood warnings that were listed in Oakland, Wayne, and Macomb Counties until 9 a.m. Those have since been downgraded to flood advisories, which will be in effect until 11:30 a.m. 

A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect in parts of Wayne, southeastern Oakland, and southwestern Macomb until 8:15 a.m. Rain was still over southern parts of Wayne and Monroe County by 9:20 a.m.

Detroit airport also reported flooding that could impact traffic moving toward DTW. Lucas Drive had reopened at Middlebelt.

Even Michigan Public Radio had some trouble getting started this morning as Ann Arbor/Detroit station WUOM reported losing power and going off the air. Its generator also failed. 

Most of the inclement weather is expected to have moved on by 10 a.m. and will remain to the south of us for much of the day.

RELATED: Today's forecast includes more heat and humidity with a slight chance of storms 

Regarding traffic closures, the usual culprits including I-94, M-39, and I-96, are experiencing heavy flooding, delaying traffic.

The Michigan Department of Transportation has managed to reopen some lanes, but blockages remained.  

Here's where flooding and other issues are showing up:

  • Both directions of I-94 at Ford Road have been blocked
  • EB I-94 between Michigan and Livernois is experiencing stop-and-go traffic
  • EB I-94 between I-696/11 Mile Road and 12 Mile Road is back open but there's still flooding.
  • EB I-696 between Mound and Van Dyke due to a crash
  • SB M-39 between Ford and Warren as well as a new alert between Warren and Joy.
  • NB M-39 at Ford Road
  • NB-75 between I-696 and 9 Mile is back open but there is still flooding
  • I-96 at Pinckney in Howell where water is over the roadway
  • Westbound Grand River closed between Golf Club and Fowler
  • EB 8 Mile at Woodward underpass is flooded
  • Traffic signal issues were reported at 10 Mile at Middle Belt and 10 Mile and Lahser.
  • McFadden Road between Bordman Road and Pratt Road blocked due to fallen power cables
  • There is also flooding spots on Newburgh Road in Livonia between Amrhein Road and I-96

There's also a massive number of power outages across the region. 

Consumers Energy says more than 4,900 outages are affecting more than 235,000 of its customers, according to its outage map. 

According to DTE, more than 619,000 people are without power due to heavy winds and flooding, as of 12:30 p.m.

Where the outages occurred is pretty indiscriminate - with every city in Metro Detroit from St. Clair County to Monroe, Washtenaw and Livingston have tens of thousands without power.