The National Weather Service has declared a hazardous weather outlook Thursday for much of southeast Michigan, including Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
The agency predicts a high of 85 degrees with an 80 percent chance of precipitation Thursday; thunderstorms are expected during the afternoon, into the evening and overnight.
"These storms may become severe during the afternoon and evening," according to the forecasting agency. "The biggest threat from these storms will be damaging wind gusts to 60 mph and hail to one inch in diameter.
"In addition, very heavy rainfall may accompany these storms, which could lead to localized flooding," the NWS said. "... The thunderstorms will be triggered by a strong cold front sweeping across lower Michigan."
DTE Energy spokesman Alejandro Bodipo-Memba said DTE will assess the situation and respond accordingly should outages occur. The utility does not anticipate any other problems with its system ahead of Saturday's Woodward Dream Cruise, which travels a 16-mile stretch of the historic avenue in Oakland County, he said.
