116K Without Power In Metro Detroit After Powerful Winter Storm

METRO DETROIT — More than 116,000 DTE Energy customers in the metro Detroit area were without power Saturday morning after a powerful winter storm rolled through the area with heavy snow and strong winds, according to the utility company’s outage center.

Southeast Michigan is under a winter weather advisory until 7 p.m. on Saturday night. Snow showers will continue throughout the day and wind gusts are expected to reach 45 to 50 miles per hour.

DTE Energy said they expect to restore power to 70 percent of those affected in southeast Michigan by the end of the day Saturday, and 95 percent of those customers by the end of the day Sunday.

As of Saturday morning, there were 114 flights canceled at Detroit Metro Airport, and another 151 were delayed.

"Our Airfield Operations and Maintenance crews are working around the clock to maintain our runways and taxiways," according to DTW.

The snow is also causing havoc on the roads, as Michigan State Police said they've handled at least 59 preventable crashes throughout metro Detroit since Friday afternoon.