BWL: 90% of customers could have power restored by end of Saturday, May 17
LANSING — The Lansing Board of Water & Light hoped to have power restored at least 90% of its customers by the end of Saturday, May 17.
About 75% of customers who lost power when a tornado and severe thunderstorm hit the Lansing area on Thursday, May 15, had power back by the start of the weekend, BWL General Manager Dick Peffley said during news conference on Saturday with Mayor Andy Schor. Peffley called it an "unprecedented" storm that left "carnage" in its wake.
The BWL outage map showed about 6,300 customers without power around noon on May 17.
The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado touched down north of Charlotte and moved north toward Delta Township, west of Lansing, while a band of thunderstorms swept across the state on the night of May 15.
A survey team on May 16 determined the twister touched down "just north of Charlotte" and passed to a spot "north of Dimondale and near Waverly," the weather agency's Brandon Hoving said. NWS cooperative observers reported five tornadoes across Michigan Thursday night, along with hail and high winds.
More than 150,000 electric customers across Michigan remained without power Saturday morning, May 17, as cleanup continued after severe storms Thursday and Friday nights.
Peffley referenced the "carnage" left behind by the "unprecedented" storm during the news conference by pointing behind him at a transmission pole suspended by electrical wires over a section of Wood Street, south of Lake Lansing Road. The 110-foot tall poles are rarely knocked down during storms, Peffley said, happening just twice in the past 25 years.
"This tornado took down 22 of those poles in four different locations," he said.
Schor noted that Saturday was May 15 — 517 Day — and encouraged anyone without power to get out around the city. And Peffley said that BWL is partnering with the Lansing Lugnuts to pay for tickets to game on Sunday, May 18. BWL customers can bring a bill or driver's license and get tickets for them and their family.
"We do appreciate everyone's patience," Schor said. "We know that folks are giving grace. They all see the damage, and they're all helping out their neighbors. ... In Lansing, we are an incredible community. People are helping others. You drive around and you see it."
Schor and Peffley said storm damage costs aren't yet know. Both said the city and utility are keeping track of overtime hours and supplies and anticipate seeking state or federal recovery funds.
Pointing to one challenge of the work, Peffley said that shortly after crews restored power to about 1,000 customers, a tree fell and damaged the circuit that had just been repaired, knocking power out to those same 1,000 customers.
Contact reporter Matt Mencarini at mjmencarini@lsj.com.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: BWL: 90% of customers could have power back by end of Saturday, May 17
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
What is the Florida weather forecast for Father's Day? What to know
Before you get ready to fire up the grill or make your Father's Day beach plans, it might be a good idea to check the weather. Dad's day comes right as Florida traditionally serves up afternoon thunderstorms and surprise rain showers. It also comes right after the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season starts, and the National Hurricane Center is currently watching three tropical waves out there. But experts aren't expecting anything to develop any time soon. "None of the reputable forecast models are showing a realistic chance of anything tropical forming on the Atlantic side of Central America through mid-month," said Dr. Ryan Truchelut, chief meteorologist with WeatherTiger. But this is Florida, so that doesn't mean dad won't get wet. Rain is possible across the state, but the Peninsula is forecast to have a greater-than-33% chance of precipitation from June 14 through the 18th, according to the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center. North and Central Florida are expected to have their historical amounts of rainfall and South Florida may be dryer than usual. For this time of year, that still means rain. Feeding dad: Father's Day 2025 food deals and specials for fast food, restaurant chains in Florida As of June 9, the NWS is forecasting: , western Panhandle: Showers and thunderstorms are expected all week into the weekend, with an 80% chance of rain on Sunday as of June 9. Weekend temps are expected to be in the mid 80s. , central Panhandle: Showers and thunderstorms likely all week, mostly in the afternoons. Chance of rain is 70% during the weekend, with highs in the low 90s. , North Florida: Chances of showers and thunderstorms will increase through the week with an80% chance of precipitation on the weekend. Weekend temps will be in the low 90s. across to and down to Stuart: Showers and thunderstorms possible in the mornings and afternoons all week, with a 50% chance Saturday and a 40% chance Sunday. Temps in the 80s. to : South Florida: Storms possible all week, with 50% chance of precipitation on Saturday and Sunday on the east coast, 60% on the Gulf Coast. Temps in the mid 80s. to , Southwest Florida: Scattered showers and thunderstorms possible all week, with high heat indexes around Fort Myers in the beginning of the week. By the weekend, expect isolated showers and a 50% chance of rain, with highs in the low 90s.. Father's Day is always the third Sunday in June. This year that's Sunday, June 15. Mother's Day started as a commercial holiday in 1908 and was made an official holiday in six years later by President Woodrow Wilson. Father's Day started in response to Mother's Day with the first celebration in 1910, but it took six decades to become official. According to the country's first event explicitly in honor of fathers occurred as a one-time event in 1908 in memory of the 361 men killed in the Monongah, West Virginia mining disaster that left more than a thousand children without a dad the year before. It had been suggested by Grace Golden Clayton, the daughter of a minister. A year later, Sonora Smart Dodd, who was one of six children raised by a twice married, twice widowed Civil War veteran, began advocating for a day to honor the "loving service" of fathers. In 1909, she talked the Spokane Ministerial Association to honor fathers nationwide for their dedication to their families and by 1910, Washington became the first state to celebrate a statewide Father's Day. Father's Day celebrations were slow to be accepted, with some calling a day for gifts and flowers unmanly and others calling for a single Parents Day. But shops promoted it during the Great Depression as a way to get people to spend money and it took off during World War II as a way to support the troops. Presidents Wilson and Calvin Coolidge both recognized it, but it wasn't until 1966 that President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation designating the date. President Richard Nixon made it a permanent national holiday in 1972. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Father's Day forecast for Florida is stormy and hot. What to expect
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What happens to Nashville Severe Weather Service as founder steps down? 'We all good fam'
If you've been through a severe weather event in Middle Tennessee, you know about Nashville Severe Weather. What started as just a couple dudes interested in weather has ballooned into a cult following on social media, where they turned a hobby into "an accidental public service." But the founder, David Drobny, has decided his "race has been run," he said in a letter on Nashville Severe Weather's website, published June 6. "No scandal, no internal discord, no problems, we all good fam," Drobny wrote in his letter. "I'm emotionally and mentally exhausted from 15 years of running NSWX from the margins of my free time." But don't worry, Nashville Severe Weather isn't going anywhere. More: Weathering staffing cuts, National Weather Service perseveres to protect public In a thread on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, the Nashville National Weather Service thanked Drobny for his service. "For over a decade, David has worked tirelessly (and voluntarily!) to keep our community informed during severe weather in real time and with unmatched clarity," the weather service said. "We thank him, his wife, and family too for all of their sacrifices!" Drobny, who is a practicing attorney, got high quality radar software in 2009, according to a biography on their website. "In 2010 storms were incoming and two of my friends were overtexting me for weather information specific to Nashville and Franklin," Drobny wrote in their bio. "I got sick of typing texts on an old Razor phone so I opened a Twitter account and answered questions and put updates there. In February 2011, the account had 100 followers. By July, Nashville Severe Weather had teamed up with the local National Weather Service office to share local reports. The next year, a tornado dropped in Cheatham County during a March storm. Their work that night skyrocketed their following by 6,000 people. It's only continued to grow. Their account on X has more than 328,000 followers. On Instgram, they've got 103,000, and on Youtube, where they go live until all warnings are expired, there are almost 59,000 subscribers. Along the way, the team expanded with the addition of Will Minkoff and Andrew Leeper. In 2015, the team was awarded the National Weather Association's Walter J. Bennett Public Service Award. "We were welcomed into the operational meteorology community. I admit it, I got emotional," Drobny wrote. Drobny will be spending more time relaxing. "My part in all this came from the margins of my free time and at the expense of sleep, family, vacations, my beer league hockey teams, friends, families: pretty much any margin in my day went to weather, work always came first (I'm a practicing attorney, btw)," he wrote. "I have tweeted from hockey rinks (playing and watching), my bed, the bonus room, the kids room, my office, my home office, from y'all's kitchen tables or gym, from (my) shower (many times), a tarmac, my uncle's Green Bay basement, etc etc etc, the radar and data was always (ALWAYS) by my side whether awake or asleep, watching me run myself ragged to be sure the weather lighthouse is turned on and the beam is pointing in the right direction." Years of trying to balance everything, and the trauma of some of these deadly storms, has finally caught up to Drobny, he said. " It all worked in me a trauma, which caused hypervigilance, which caused burnout," he wrote. "For years, I've tried to find ways to stay—boundaries, time off, therapy—but nothing has been enough. I admit I lack limitless energy. My race has been run." While he'll no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations of weather, he will remain in his board position with the National Weather Association Foundation that helps support meteorlogy students and weather education. "You were, you are, and you will remain: well loved by these NSWX strangers. Please be nice to them. They work hard. Their families sacrifice a piece of themselves to run this. You are worth it," he wrote, signing off. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Severe Weather founder stepping down, service to continue
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Storm track sets up over Minnesota with more active weather ahead
Storm track sets up over Minnesota with more active weather ahead originally appeared on Bring Me The News. It could turn into a sloppy week in the southern half of Minnesota as multiple soaking storm systems are set to move through the region. The first shot of heavy rain — and perhaps strong storms — comes Wednesday, followed by another system on Thursday-Friday. "After a cool start to the week, temperatures warm up briefly before we get into a stretch of more active weather. Heavy rain is possible Wednesday into Friday, especially across southern MN," says National Weather Service in the Twin Cities. For Wednesday, the heaviest rain looks to be from areas on a line just south of the Twin Cities down to the Iowa border. The severe threat, however, looks for now like it'll be refined to the Minnesota-Iowa border and areas further south. The NAM and European models agree that the most unstable, juiciest environment for strong or severe storms will be in Iowa. The second wave of heavy rain looks again likely to target the southern half of Minnesota, though what happens Thursday into Friday could change with any wobble north or south of the stalled frontal boundary that is serving as a highway for precipitation to travel along. Here's how the European model has the precipitation playing out Wednesday-Friday. By Saturday morning, 1-2+ inches of rain could have fallen in southern Minnesota. June, by the way, is typically the most active severe weather month of the year in Minnesota. There hasn't been a lot so far, but that could be changing as the active pattern starts this week and continues into next week. Northern Illinois University's Extended Range Dynamical Environment Forecasts, which focus on predicting severe weather events in the future, is offering a signal for an increase in severe storm potential next week over Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. We'll see what happens, but things could get more interesting in mid-June. This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
