'Intense' Lightning Sprawls Across Michigan Sky as Deadly Storms Tear Through State

Lightning sprawled across the Michigan night sky on August 24, as severe storms tore through the state, leading to at least three deaths and leaving at least 180,000 people without power, local media https://www.wzzm13.com/article/weather/over-88000-people-without-power-due-to-storm-in-west-michigan/69-01e91ecc-e743-490f-8a21-493355600dcf reported. A woman and two children died in a fatal collision during the storm on Thursday night, the Kent County Sheriff's Office https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/woman-2-children-killed-crash-northern-kent-county/69-1e5e10b3-d9cf-43e1-83c3-af6df1b7d96f told local media, after a vehicle hydroplaned and hit another on a wet road. The thunderstorms on Thursday brought winds of 70 mph, https://twitter.com/NWSDetroit/status/1694898943841489279 heavy rain, and hail, https://twitter.com/NWSDetroit/status/1694903581068157041 according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Tornado warnings were in effect at Detroit Beach, Woodland Beach, and Stony Point, the NWS https://twitter.com/NWSDetroit/status/1694903184127574451 said. Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency, https://twitter.com/MichEMHS/status/1694853959280636097 according to the Michigan State Police. Matthew H Malone recorded this https://twitter.com/MatthewHMalone/status/1694914100189422048 footage of lightning flashing across the sky above Walled Lake. In the caption, Malone describes the video, which contains both slow-motion and regular footage, as showing an "intense lightning barrage." (Footage by Matthew H Malone/Storyful via Getty Images UGC)