WMUK News

Trees and power lines downed across Southwest Michigan following high winds

WMUK | By Anna Spidel

Published April 27, 2026 at 10:02 PM EDT

Two trees that share the same root system lie uprooted on the grass, surrounded by other trees. At the base of the tree, a large root system covered in dirt sits on the grass. One three in the background has a large branch broken off. Small sticks and branches are strewn around the grass. In the background is a brick-sided apartment building with several balconies. — Two large trees lie uprooted on the grass in the Parkview neighborhood of Kalamazoo around 6:30 p.m. on April 27, 2026. Strong winds downed trees and power lines and snapped branches across the area. Several main roads were covered in debris.

Strong winds during a severe thunderstorm in the late afternoon on Monday downed trees across Kalamazoo. The National Weather Service recorded wind gusts up to 56 mph.

Thunderstorms bringing strong winds swept across Michigan Monday night, downing trees and power lines across Southwest Michigan and beyond.

Behind a short brown sign that reads "Willow Creek Apartments 3727", a large tree is snapped in half and splintered down the middle. Its branches lie on the ground below, strewn across the street and mulch median. The top of the tree is lying on top of a small lightpost. — A splintered tree lies near the street in Kalamazoo's Parkview Hills neighborhood following strong winds on April 27, 2026.

Consumers Energy reported over 900 outages and nearly 70,000 customers affected around 9:30 p.m. Monday night.

In Southwest Michigan, outages were concentrated in St. Joseph, Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties — with Consumers Energy reporting areas of 1,000+ customers affected near Centreville and Battle Creek.

In Kalamazoo, debris covered the road along several busy thoroughfares. Around rush hour, Oakland Ave. near W. Maple Street was entirely blocked by a large tree that fell across the roadway and blocked two lanes of traffic.

A large tree lies in the street, with orange traffic cones and yellow tape blocking off the road. White trucks in the background carry equipment to remove the tree. There is a sign post that shows the intersection of two streets - Oakland Drive and W Maple Street. There is green grass, shrubbery trees, and houses lining the street. — Crews work to remove a large tree blocking Oakland Drive around 6:30 p.m. in Kalamazoo on April 27, 2026. The tree fell near the intersection of Oakland and W. Maple Street and blocked both lanes of traffic, creating a short detour for those traveling down Oakland Drive. Oakland was strewn with branches and debris from a strong thunderstorm that downed several trees in the area.

The National Weather Service recorded wind gusts as high as 56 mph on Monday in Kalamazoo. The NWS forecast for Kalamazoo County predicts strong winds, rain and potential thunderstorms throughout Monday night with winds slowing 10 to 15 mph after midnight.