High winds caused GR power outage

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - High winds are the likely cause of a power outage that affected a section of downtown Grand Rapids Thursday morning. More high winds are projected as the first real winter storm rolls into West Michigan.

Everytime power goes out -- especially if it affects you -- the most important piece of information you want is when power will be restored.

Consumers Energy now has a Power Outage map on their website. By zooming in on the map, you can see for yourself who is affected, the number of people without power, when it happened and when it's expected power will be back.

But if your power is out, you may not be able to check your computer. That's why they have a smartphone app downloadable to your iPhone or Android and you can use it anywhere -- even at the airport.

With snow looming and travel plans potentially snarled, it's always a good idead to "check with your airline first to make sure you know that your flight is ont time and that it will depart on time," said Phil Johnson, the deputy director of Ford International Airport. "Give yoursele some extra travel time. Obviously, the roads might be bad here in West Michigan."