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IRON MOUNTAIN -- Hundreds of power outages were reported as severe weather hit the Upper Peninsula early Monday evening, with much of the region placed under a tornado watch and some counties having tornado warnings.
More than 1,600 customers were reported out of service in Alger and Schoolcraft counties and there were extensive outages in Marquette and Delta counties as well, extending south into Menominee County, according to poweoutage.us.
We Energies listed nearly 50 outages in Iron County.
A tornado watch issued by the National Weather Service was in effect until 11 p.m. Central time Monday and included Dickinson, Iron and Menominee among 11 counties affected in the U.P.
The NWS throughout the evening issue tornado warnings in Marquette, Alger, Menominee and Delta counties. Residents in those areas recorded sights such as a waterspout over Lake Superior and hail exceeding 2 inches in diameter.
To the south, NWS reported scattered storms capable of producing funnel clouds or brief tornados across central Wisconsin.
Today’s forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies with wind gusts from the northwest as high as 30 mph, but no precipitation. Wednesday should be sunny and breezy. Highs in the mid-70s are expected.
Elevated levels of fine particulate due to wildfire smoke are expected to remain, but the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy said it will likely be in the moderate range.
“High pressure will settle over the region on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing dry conditions and gradually warming temperatures as the week progresses,” EGLE said on the MiAir website. “Under this warmer, dry setup, there is potential for increased smoke formation.”
Another air quality forecast will be issued Wednesday, the agency said.