x
Breaking News
More () »

Muskegon County crews working through record snow to bring back power, clear roads

Muskegon County saw over 38,000 Consumer's Energy customers without power. At least 320 wires were reported down on Tuesday.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Snow covered roads and trees were causing problems up and down Muskegon County.

At the intersection of Division Street and Southern Avenue, tree limbs had fallen onto the street, narrowly missing houses.

"It just started out as normal snow and then a half hour into it we started hearing creaking," said neighbor David Archer. "A big limb fell in front of our house, we moved it in the backyard, about 20 minutes later this one fell."

Muskegon's fire chief, Jay Paulson, said the heavy snow clinging to the leaves were too heavy for limbs across the county, bringing them down on top of powerlines. While he was unavailable for an interview, Chief Paulson told 13 ON YOUR SIDE that they called in all shifts to deal with the snowy aftermath. 

At one point throughout the day, Muskegon County saw over 38,000 Consumer's Energy customers without power.

At least 320 wires were reported down on Tuesday.

In Muskegon, the snowfall total as of 8 pm was 8.8'', a record for October 31, and the second-highest, single-day amount prior to November 15.  (On November 14, 1908 Muskegon received 16.0".)

Spokesperson Brian Wheeler gives his insight on what crews saw throughout the day.

"The storm really has come with some high winds as well," said Wheeler. "So far it was the winter storm that has been moving off the lake, it really has stayed put in the community in Muskegon County. So it's not common for us to see a situation where really one county in particular bears so much of the impact of the storm."

While the unexpected Halloween snowfall was certainly a surprise for most, Archer said nobody is going through it alone.

"One thing about this neighborhood that I can say is everyone is kicking in together, helping each other, everyone is getting each other unstuck, getting the tree limbs moved."

Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.

Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on RokuAmazon Fire TV Stick, and on your phone. 

Before You Leave, Check This Out