Where Most Of The Snow Went by Patrick T Power

While Michigan is still reeling from a punishing series of economic body blows, it appears that the weather has decided to lend an unwelcome hand. As the Muskegon Chronicle, Detroit Free Press and WMMT relate, folks all across the state are turning their attention from the plummeting economy to rising waters. West Michigan was particularly hard hit by flooding:

The jams and floods are all part of an unusual weather pattern that brought record high temperatures to Michigan in the wake of one of the state's snowiest Decembers, engorging rivers with rain and melted snow. The fronts also carried high winds Sunday that knocked down trees and wires, leaving as many as 183,000 customers statewide without power. Almost all had been restored by today.

Folks in the center and east side of the state haven't been so fortunate. The Michigan Messenger and Detroit Free Press note that some 60,000 households remain without power in the Detroit metro area and more in other areas:

High winds have been a constant problem throughout the weekend and into the beginning of the new week with 45,000 DTE Energy customers still without power, including 15,000 in Wayne County, 11,000 in Oakland County and 3,000 in Macomb County, spokeswoman Eileen Dixon said.

Consumers Energy also had 20,000 Michigan customers without power this morning, the majority in Genesee and Midland counties in central Michigan, and Alcona and Iosco counties up north, spokeswoman Debra Dodd said.

All around the state we are now seeing weather advisories for another storm rolling through tonight packing a few more inches of snow and more wind ... maybe we should go back to talking about the economy now? Either that, or let's get into a pickup truck and survey the flooding!