What a Dream Cruise! Storms briefly halt cruisers, but sky clears and classics return

ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) - Thousands of classic cars and a million people. The Woodward Dream Cruise is always one of metro Detroit’s favorite events. This year, storms and safety concerns made things a bit wild.

After a powerful weather system swept through Royal Oak, a day that began with sunshine and an avenue packed with cars turned wet. And the Cruise was briefly paused.

The City of Royal Oak actually called off the Woodward Dream Cruise at one point Saturday night, but Woodward Avenue reopened to traffic as the sun returned and storms disappeared.

The decision to halt the cruise and shut down Woodward was made after reports of downed power lines and structure fires in the area. Storms hit around 5:00 p.m.

Police initially shut down traffic at several points including along Normandy in Royal Oak. They later warned drivers to avoid that area as a power line fell to the ground causing safety concerns.

Public safety officials discouraged cruisers from taking to Woodward, but many returned and the cruise definitely went on – even if not officially.