Power outages remain a concern as wind gusts pick up to around 50 miles per hour on Friday afternoon, Dec. 23. Several hundred Indiana Michigan Power customers were without power on Friday afternoon. Most of the people without were in the Benton Harbor area.
By Friday evening, power outages in Michiana were at a minimum.
Indiana Michigan Power released the following statement:
Though blizzard conditions struck areas served by Indiana Michigan Power on Thursday night and continuing into Friday, I&M has experienced relatively few power outages thus far.
The winter storm swept through southwest Michigan into north-central and northwest Indiana, with sustained high winds and frigid temperatures that continue throughout today.
Several hundred I&M customers have lost power today, but major, widespread outages have not occurred.
I&M’s crews have been battling the elements to restore power to those customers who lost
service. Ice and snow on the roads have made reaching outage locations take more time.
Crews cannot raise the lifts on their trucks during heavy winds, and they must take warming breaks in the below-zero temperatures.
As of 7 p.m., less than 1,000 customers were without service, with more than 500 in a single outage in the Benton Harbor area. While outages thus far have not been heavy or widespread, the fierce weather is expected to continue throughout today and Saturday.
Wind speeds of up to 58 mph have been recorded in this storm. Significant outages may still occur. Customers should continue to plan for the possibility of a power outage as the storm continues.
Below are links where you can track the outages:
