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Deadly thunderstorms rip through Michigan, power knocked out to more than 440,000

By Emily Shapiro and Max Golembo, ABC News Aug 25, 2023 | 8:49 AM
Feldhaar Christian / EyeEm/Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — At least five people have died in Michigan from severe thunderstorms that tore through the state overnight.

A car crash sparked by flooding claimed the lives of a woman and two young children in Kent County, which encompasses Grand Rapids, an official told ABC Grand Rapids affiliate WZZM.

Another person died on a roadway in the Lansing area when a possible tornado moved through the area, according to the Ingham County Sheriff’s Office.

And in Lansing, one person was killed when a tree fell on a house, according to police.

More than 440,000 customers in Michigan are without power Friday morning.

Almost 7 inches of rain fell just south of Detroit, flooding streets and neighborhoods. The Detroit area recorded wind gusts near 70 mph.

Tornadoes were also reported. National Weather Service officials on Friday will conduct damage surveys at the sites of two suspected tornadoes: one in the Grand Rapids area and one in the Lansing area.

Flash flooding from the storm also struck Ohio.

That system is moving east, bringing strong thunderstorms and potential flooding to the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic.

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