Consumers Energy’s Community Focused Infrastructure Investments Lead to Better Storm Response in Northern Michigan

Consumers Energy's Community Focused Infrastructure Investments Lead to Better Storm Response in Northern Michigan

Traverse City, Mich. Monday, October 19, 2026

Customers in Northern Michigan are seeing faster restoration and spending less time without power following major storms. An analysis of eight catastrophic storms from 2023 through July 2026 shows Consumers Energy has continued to improve electric service restoration over the three-year period.

In the northern region, which includes Big Rapids, Boyne City, Cadillac, Ludington, Traverse City, West Branch and Benzie territories, storms caused customer interruptions, but over 60% of customers in the region experienced restoration within 24 hours and over 70% were restored within 48 hours.

"We know our customers expect reliable power and faster restoration when storms occur. These results demonstrate that our investments are making a difference, and we'll continue strengthening the grid through our Reliability Roadmap to deliver even better reliability for the communities we serve," said Greg Salisbury, senior vice president of electric distribution for Consumers Energy.

The specific storm-by-storm results broken down below highlight even more notable restoration gains since 2023, supported by Consumers Energy's more proactive tree trimming, installation of stronger poles and equipment, expanded use of technology, advanced weather forecasting, and strategic pre-staging of crews and resources.

February-March 2023: Despite winter storms causing 15,639 customers to lose power, over two-thirds of customers were restored within 24 hours and over 88% within 48 hours.

May 2025: The northern region had 16,026 customers lose power during severe weather, with all customers restored within 24 hours.

July 2026: Even with 38,341 customers out of power due to severe storms - more than twice the February-March 2023 total, Consumers Energy restored 97% of customers within 24 hours and nearly all customers within 48 hours.

Statewide results also demonstrate stronger restoration performance:

February-March 2023: The catastrophic winter storm caused 418,017 customers to lose power, with over 54% of customers restored within 24 hours and over 73% within 48 hours.

June 2024: Of 195,591 of statewide customers who lost power during summer severe weather, over 75% were back on within 24 hours and 96% within 48 hours.

March 2026: Despite 350,827 customers losing power statewide due to damaging ice and wind, Consumers Energy restored over 80% of customers within 24 hours and over 89% within 48 hours - the strongest 24-hour statewide result among the eight storms analyzed.

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Media Contact: Matt Johnson, 517-888-1539 or [email protected]