TRAVERSE CITY -- Utility crews removed and repaired dangling power lines, while firefighters and chainsaw-wielding homeowners cleared roads and lawns of trees and limbs scattered by a gusty, welcome-to-fall storm that swept through the region.
Danielle Wegrecki had a front-row seat to view the damage.
A large section of a gnarled old maple tree lay in chunks Tuesday at Wegrecki's rented home near Bowers Harbor on Old Mission Peninsula. A blue tarp covered a large gash in the roof, courtesy of a tree that succumbed to wind just after 7 a.m. Monday.
Wegrecki was asleep with her infant daughter when she heard what sounded like crackling thunder.
"Then I heard 'Boom!'" she said. "It rattled me right out of my sleep."
She waited Tuesday to find out how long -- and how much -- it will take to repair her roof. The tree hit above a sun room and didn't break any windows or damage living quarters.
"It really fell in the best way it possibly could," said Amanda Lennington, who also lives in the house.
Power lines, trees and other debris were scattered over area homes and roadways Monday and Tuesday as strong winds and heavy rains pounded the region. Crews on Tuesday continued to clear roads and restore power to hundreds of area residents.
A low-pressure system from Canada moved into the Great Lakes and strengthened, mixing with warm water temperatures to create "some unstable conditions," said Kevin Sullivan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gaylord.
That generated high winds Monday night into Tuesday, especially in areas closest to the lakeshore, Sullivan said.
The highest gusts reached 52 mph at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Big Sable Point Lighthouse south of Manistee, Sullivan said. It was followed by a 49-mph gust Monday night at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse near Northport.
"As you went inland, the winds were still strong, but they weren't as strong," he said.
Fire crews scrambled across the region dealing with downed wires and blocked roads.
"We were out all night and are still out on several" calls, Glen Lake Fire Department Chief John Dodson said Tuesday.
Downed trees and wires made up the bulk of complaints for Dodson's department.
It was much of the same for the Suttons Bay Fire Department, firefighter Dave Stowe said.
"We just pretty much went from call to call," he said.
Crews had to corral snarled lines and limbs while the wind continued to howl, creating a difficult situation.
"To be out there in the elements (near) the trees and power lines is a danger in itself," Suttons Bay Fire Chief Jim Porter said. "Truck placement is key."
Thousands of northern Michigan residents were without power Tuesday. As of 10 a.m., more than 2,600 Consumers Energy customers were in the dark, with the majority in Leelanau, Grand Traverse and Benzie counties, Consumers spokesman Terry DeDoes said.
By 2 p.m., that had dropped to about 1,870, DeDoes said.
About 200 Cherryland Electric Cooperative customers in six counties remained without power as of Tuesday morning, down from close to 500 outages at the peak.
Trees falling on lines and, in some cases, lines falling to the ground, were among the problems for both companies.
"It kept our crews busy," Cherryland spokesman Nick Edson said. "The winds can really cause havoc, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been."
Edson estimated the remaining outages would be restored by Tuesday afternoon, and DeDoes said it likely would be midnight before the rest of Consumers' customers had power.
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