216K Without Power In Metro Detroit As Icy Storm Moves Through MI

METRO DETROIT — More than 216,000 DTE customers in the metro Detroit area were without power Wednesday as an icy winter storm move's through Michigan.

Outages were scattered all across metro Detroit wit the highest concentrations around Ann Arbor, downriver, Warren, Sterling Heights and Detroit's east side, according to the utility.

Forecasters expect freezing rain and rain to continue across metro Detroit throughout Wednesday into the nighttime hours as temperatures drop below freezing.

DTE warned power outages will skyrocket if heavy ice accumulates on tree limbs and wires.

"A half an inch of radial ice, so that’s ice covering, say, a wire, is the equivalent of having a baby grand piano on that single span of wire," Executive Vice President of Distribution Operations for DTE Matt Paul said. "So the weight is significant for our system. We normally don’t see this kind of ice accumulation, so that’s the concern."

All of metro Detroit is under an ice storm warning until 4 a.m. Thursday morning.

You can view the DTE outage map here.