FAIL! Michigan Among Top 3 States With the Most Power Outages

A scathing and eye-opening new report reveals some disturbing data concerning Michigan's power grid.

Climate Central dug into the data for major power outages all over the United States between 2000 and 2021, and found that Michigan is second only to Texas when it comes to the number of major power outages recorded in each state (defined as those in which at least 50,000 customers lose electricity). California, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania round out the top 5.

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Texas logged 180 weather-related major power outages over the period, compared to 132 for Michigan. When you consider that Texas is well more than double the size of Michigan (more than 4x bigger if you don't consider adjacent waterways), that's a pretty rough stat for the Mitten State.

Why Does Michigan Have More Than Its Fair Share of Power Outages?

According to the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, one of the biggest factors leading to increased problems with power outages in the state are its trees - or more accurately, power companies' policies in regard to regularly trimming trees near electricity lines.

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DTE Energy, the leading electricity provider in southeast Michigan, says that nearly three-quarters of the time its customers are experiencing a power outage, trees or tree branches blown down by the wind are the reason.

The Citizens Utility Board says DTE and other electricity providers wait too long between tree trimmings along trunk routes, allowing tree growth to become problematic. DTE has since sped up its tree trimming cycle.

Consumers Energy, another electric service provider serving much of Lower Michigan, points to Michigan's "variety of seasons and abundance of nature" as other factors that sometimes lead to power outages in the state. The company points to investing in updates to its power grid as another way to combat Michigan's persistent power issues.