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Millions of trees snapped in half, over 10,000 without power weeks after Michigan ice storm

It could take until autumn before all of the damage is cleaned up following a destructive ice storm in Michigan, and officials are worried the aftermath will contribute to intense wildfires in the coming years.

By Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather meteorologist and senior weather editor

Published Apr 15, 2025 11:05 AM EDT | Updated Apr 15, 2025 11:05 AM EDT

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Lucas Merrick of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources reported that about three million acres of forests were impacted by the devastating ice storm that hit the region from March 28-30.

A major late-season ice storm caused massive tree damage in northern Michigan and southern Ontario on March 28-30, knocking out power for more than a million electric customers. Over two weeks later, nearly 10,000 are still without power, according to PowerOutage.com.

AccuWeather spoke to Lucas Merrick from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources about the tree damage in the state. The storm damaged nearly 3 million acres of forests in the northern part of the state, Merrick said.

Thousands of roads have trees down that have to be moved after the late-season Michigan ice storm. (Michigan DNR)

Thousands of roads have trees down that have to be moved after the late-season Michigan ice storm. (Michigan DNR)

"I've never seen an event as big or as devastating as this," Merrick told AccuWeather in an interview. "There are acres and acres of trees, basically just snapped in half."

Over 3,000 state roads were affected and more than a dozen state parks remain closed. Merrick added that some remote roads may not be cleared until early autumn due to the amount of work that needs to be done.

Wide swaths of forest were completely destroyed by the Michigan ice storm (Michigan DNR)

Wide swaths of forest were completely destroyed by the Michigan ice storm (Michigan DNR)

"The dead woody debris will have many positive impacts for Michigan forests, but these treetops and branches, they will begin to dry out and the potential for intense ground fires will increase throughout the next several years," Merrick said.

Meredith Migizi's team at Miigwech Inc., a social outreach organization for local indigenous people in northern Michigan, is still seeing life-or-death situations two weeks after the storm ended, the Detroit Free Press reported. As power outages continue, she worries her community has been left behind.

According to Merrick, the storm's overall impact on the state will be felt for 40 to 50 years.

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