A series of severe winter storms have caused significant disruptions across the Great Lakes region, with nearly 600,000 people left without power due to ice storms and destructive winds exceeding 95 mph. Northern Michigan has been particularly affected, prompting the opening of multiple warming shelters as over 75% of Forest County faces outages. In addition, central and northeast Wisconsin experienced similar outages, affecting tens of thousands. As the Great Lakes grapple with ice and flooding, Tennessee is bracing for its own wild weather conditions. In response to the crisis, Governor Whitmer has activated the State Emergency Operations Center in Michigan to address the ongoing situation.