Strong winds blow through leaving thousands without power, reduced Mackinac Bridge travel

Hold onto your coats, Michigan winter is starting to come out of hibernation with strong gusts of winds.

Dealing with winds faster than 50 miles per hour, the Mackinac Bridge closed Sunday night to trucks and is telling all drivers to reduce their speed.

"The winds would probably be strong enough to push something over, especially if they were moving at about 45 miles an hour, or actually or even at 25 miles an hour," said Jeff Lutz, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gaylord.

Lutz said the worst of the winds should end by 5 a.m. Monday.

The west side of the state is also bearing the brunt of strong winds — about 28,000 Consumers Energy customers are without power in the Kalamazoo area, including News Channel 3, Channel 3 reported.

Lutz said the strong winds are the result of a cold win moving through the state.

"(The cold front) picks up speed as it comes down on the backside of the low pressure system," he explained. "And that is causing the high winds."

More: Detroit Pistons' Isaiah Stewart uncontrollable after being bloodied by LeBron James

More: The last Kmart in Michigan has shuttered its doors, ending the dynasty's reign

This time of year, when the depths of winter are on the horizon, are notorious for strong winds like this, Lutz said.

"All the cold air that leads us into winter tries to make its appearance and it tends to cause the storms to spin up stronger than most other times during the year."

Contact Emma Stein: estein@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Strong winds blow through leaving thousands without power