Rain, ice cut power across Great Lakes as Tennessee braces for storms

Freezing rain brought down trees and power lines in Michigan and Wisconsin, cutting electricity for thousands of people Sunday in the upper Great Lakes region, while forecasters said severe weather was on its way to Tennessee.

Winds topping 113 kph were possible for the middle of Tennessee, with a chance of tornadoes as well as hail as large as 5 centimeters Sunday night, the National Weather Service said.

More than 400,000 power outages were reported in Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. Churches that had power, as well as schools and fire halls, were turned into warming centers as utilities worked to restore electricity, a job that will likely stretch into Monday in small communities and rural pockets.

Nearly 16,000 homes and businesses in Alpena County, Michigan, were in the dark. Many churches without power in Wisconsin and Michigan were forced to cancel Sunday services.

The entire Presque Isle County, with a population of 13,200 has no power.

Authorities in South Carolina reported progress Sunday in controlling wildfires in the Blue Ridge mountains. The Table Rock and Persimmon Ridge fires have burned about 44 square kilometers. Mandatory evacuations were ordered Saturday for some residents of Greenville County.

(Cover: A broken tree rests in a yard after a storm in Howell, Michigan, the U.S., March 30, 2025. /VCG)