:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(665x0:667x2)/paul-wesley-natalie-kuckenburg-amalfi-coast2-71825-10b4444f9a6242c8aa742476e5d68235.jpg "Paul Wesley and Girlfriend Natalie Kuckenburg on Yacht Vacation in Italy: Photos")
Sweltering temperatures from Midwest to East Coast
Sweltering temperatures drove people to parks and fountains as heat wave warnings were in effect across the nation.
- Temperatures that feel as hot as 105 degrees, is set to end Tuesday evening.
- Forecasters now calling for severe thunderstorms, wind and hail.
- All-Hazards Weather Radio outages raise questions about the warning system.
The hellish weather Michiganders have endured, with temperatures that feel as hot as 105 degrees, is set to end Tuesday evening, but comes with a chance of severe thunderstorms, damaging winds, hail — and flooding.
In the meantime, National Weather Service officials said, four of five All-Hazards Weather Radios in Michigan that were offline this weekend are working again. WNG-647, broadcasting out of Adrian, was the only one that was still down.
The other network outages — which affected a swath of the state when extreme heat advisories and warnings had been issued — were: KEC-63, out of Southfield; KIH-29, Clio; WNG-582, Sandusky; WNG-701, Bad Axe.
In a letter Monday to the agency that oversees the network, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, raised some concerns and questions.
She wanted to know what caused parts of the network to go down, and, just as significantly, and what more is needed to keep it operating, especially as the nation faces a variety of extreme weather events.
“We are in one of the most dangerous weeks of the year in Michigan,” she wrote, pointing out Michigan had 29 tornadoes this year, one of the highest numbers since 1991, and the heat wave “increased the risk of heat-related illness, power outages, and storm activity.”
As for the weather outlook for the rest of the week, forecasters said that the risk is marginal for the storms, but Michiganders should be prepared if they do materialize because the damage — and danger — could be severe.
The primary hazards, they said, were large, quarter-size hail, damaging wind gusts near 60 mph which could down trees and take out powerlines, and heavy, sudden rainfall that could cause localized flooding.
In response to the forecast, the Great Lakes Water Authority said it is taking extra storm precautions and urging residents in low-lying, flood-prone areas to stay alert.
The regional system is currently dry and operating as designed, with crews monitoring conditions and ready to respond, the water authority said in a news release. Residents are advised to move valuables out of basements as a precaution.
Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 orfwitsil@freepress.com.
