Weather

Northern Michigan continues to grapple with debris and forestry management.

Weeks before the ice storm pummeled Alpena and Montmorency counties in late March, local officials were discussing sharing an emergency manager. Now, it's uncertain if the proposal will go into effect.

The same debris that knocked out the power a few weeks ago could be used to make electricity.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is allocating over $1 million to pay for generators and food for counties hit by last month's ice storm that brought widespread destruction to the region.

Supporters of the EPA's work in Michigan and the U.S. to protect the environment urged Congress to rein in a plan to roll back multiple pollution regulations.

The closure of four of the six Regional Climate Centers across the U.S. occurred after funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ran out. A recent report stated that the Trump administration plans to propose a 25% cut to NOAA's budget next fiscal year.

State Rep. Parker Fairbairn's (R-Harbor Springs) bill would distribute $75 million in relief for northern Michigan. The spending would meet the matching requirements to qualify for $225 million of federal disaster aid, lawmakers say.

Some people across northern Michigan were without power for 18 days following a historic ice storm that blasted through the region in late March. In recent days, workers have repaired or replaced hundreds of utility poles in remote areas of Michigan wilderness to bring people back online.

Northern Michigan utility companies say power will not be restored in some areas impacted by last week's ice storm for the next four to five days.

Hundreds of thousands of people lost power in northern Michigan after an ice storm hit in late March 2025. Below are moments captured by WCMU's Teresa Homsi while she was on the ground reporting on the storm.