Severe thunderstorm watch in effect for Lansing region until midnight Monday

LANSING – A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until midnight tonight in southwest and south-central Michigan, including the Lansing area.

Damaging winds and scattered power outages are possible as a storm system moves across the lower part of the state from the south and west. Winds of 70 mph to 100 mph caused major tree and building damage in parts of Iowa and Wisconsin on Monday, forecasters said.

"Hopefully, it will lose a little speed by the time it gets to our area," said Ernie Ostuno, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids.

The worst of the storms could pass to the south, but brief, heavy downpours and winds of 40 mph to 50 mph or higher are possible in the Lansing area, Ostuno said.

Contact Ken Palmer at (517) 377-1032 or kpalmer@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @KBPalm_lsj.