As per reports, a multi-day weather system involving an ice storm followed by a “bomb cyclone” has put a significant strain on Michigan’s electrical infrastructure. As of noon on Monday (29 December), over 115,000 customers were reported without power across the state.

• The crisis began on Friday (26 December) with a severe ice storm that coated mid-Michigan with up to 0.5 inches of ice, followed by a rapidly intensifying “bomb cyclone” on Sunday night that brought 72 mph wind gusts and more than 24 inches of snow to the Upper Peninsula.
• The hardest-hit area in the Lower Peninsula, with 61 per cent of the county (16,260 customers) in the dark due to extreme ice accumulation.