michiganders faced an array of dangerous weather woes Tuesday that included extreme heat that felt like it was 100° violent thunderstorms that knocked out power to more than 365,000 homes and businesses and set off tornado sirens this was the kind of instability we see once or twice a year Dave cook a National Weather Service meteorologist in White Lake Township told the Free Press later Tuesday afternoon as he monitored storms sweeping the state and it's here now in addition to the Heat and severe storms The Weather Service had warned early in the morning that there was a risk the unusual summer pattern could also bring damaging wind gusts and even the potential for quarterized Hail by 10 p.m. powerful storms had knocked out electricity to nearly 143,000 Consumers Energy customers in northern Michigan and the Grand Rapids area with the utility promising to work through the night to restore it and an additional 224,000 DT Energy customers in southeast Michigan DT said on its online storm update that the utility was working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service and was bringing in hundreds of additional crew members from outside our area to help speed restoration the outages forced businesses like grocery stores to close various organizations like Scout groups to ccel their night meetings at churches and other public places and left intersections already more dangerous from The Heavy Rain without working traffic lights the good news however was most michiganders seem to be taking the warning seriously some were trying to have a sense of humor about them and the intent heat in the state forecasters said isn't expected to last too much longer The Weather Service heat advisory which on social media early Tuesday was accompanied by colorful yellow and red Graphics urged taking breaks in shade on job sites checking on the elderly sick and those without AC never leaving kids or pets in cars and limiting strenuous outdoor activities The Advisory triggered several School Clos meur es and Revis class schedules throughout Metro Detroit and across the southern part of the state Detroit schools which all do not have air conditioning adjusted their schedules East Point and Southfield schools did the same several West Michigan school districts including Grand Rapids Hudsonville Portage Ionia and other communities also announced closures and early dismissals but some astute observers noted that likely won't solve the problem because many kids live in households that don't have air conditioning or a way to cool off and they will have to seek refuge in libraries or other public spaces