Storms to bring relief to east coast heat

DETROIT, June 22 (UPI) -- Thunderstorms uprooted trees and caused power outages in areas of Michigan, and forecasters predict similar damage as the storms move to the east coast Friday.

The storms -- expected along the Interstate 95 corridor from Richmond, Va., to Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Del., Philadelphia, Trenton, N.J., New York City, Hartford, Conn., Providence, R.I. and Boston -- will bring cooler, drier conditions and relief from higher-than-normal heat in recent days, Accuweather said.

The storms brought straight-line winds of 60 to 70 mph in Dexter and Chelsea, Mich., Thursday evening, uprooting large trees and damaging a barn, Marc Breckenridge, emergency services director for the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office, told The Detroit News.

"The road commission has been busy tonight working on the scene," he said. "This is thunderstorm season and it's going to happen."

About 16,000 homes were without power late Thursday throughout Monroe and western Wayne counties in Michigan, DTE Energy said.