Spotter - Reporting Information

Your National Weather Service in Gaylord provides free up-to-date forecasts and warnings for 25 counties throughout northern Michigan, as well as provides forecasts for the nearshore waters and three airport locations (Traverse City, Pellston, and Alpena Airports). However, many people often ask us the best way to get this information. As would be expected in this technology age, the answer to this question is quite varied, but below is an attempt to inform you (our customers) of the various ways you can get the latest information from the National Weather Service to use in your daily decision making.

In addition, we like to hear from you. After all, even with all the latest technology available for weather observering, it is still impossible to beat the human observer. Be sure to check out the various ways you can report weather to the National Weather service by visiting the Reporting Section below.

Point and Click Forecasts

Point and Click: The internet is by far the most simple mechanism to use when gathering your desired daily forecast information. Simply point your browser (either on a PC or mobile smart phone) over to https://weather.gov/gaylord. Right there at the top, you will see a map of northern Michigan, showing counties and various cities. Just point your mouse over the exact spot for which you want a forecast (either over land of across the water) and click. It's that simple! Thanks to new forecasting technology, your local NWS office works hard to put great detail into our forecasts, right down to the local city level.

Mobile Devices

Mobile Devices: The rapid uptick in the use of so-called "smart phones" (i.e. the iPhone, Android phones, Blackberries,etc.) over the past 5 years has lead to a myriad of new NWS services designed for use by cell phone users. One of the most popular for users of older phone (without internet browsers) is the mobile.weather.gov site where users can get the latest observations, as well as forecasts and radar imagery. Phones capable of displaying full web pages can simply use weather.gov to view the latest information.
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XML/CAP/ATOM (Real-Time) Feeds

Real-Time NWS Product Feeds: The National Weather Service offers several real-time feeds of its products in various formats, supporting the XML, CAP, and ATOM standards. These are quite useful for mobile smartphone devices as well as for use in web applications, or for those who want real-time notification when certain NWS products (forecasts, warnings, etc.) are issued and/or updated. For access to these products, please use the following links:

XML/RSS Feeds | CAP/ATOM Feeds

Extreme Weather

Extreme Weather Pages: Want to find out the latest potential for severe weather, or how much snow we expect to fall over the coming days? If so, these pages are for you!

Severe Weather | Winter Weather | Flooding

Use the Phone

Recorded Forecasts: Hear a recording of the latest 3 and 7 day forecast, as well as receive the latest climate summary information for Gaylord, Sault Ste Marie, Alpena, and Houghton Lake. Two numbers are available for your convenience:

Local: (989) 731-6860
Toll-Free (888) 445-4990

Historical Weather Information

Historical Weather Information: Need weather information from the past week? Give us a call at the NWS office in Gaylord at (989) 731-3384. Looking for climate information from the past few years? Check out the Climate Section of our web page, where you can find monthly summaries of temperature, precipitation, and snowfall values for selected sites across the area.

Still can't find what you're looking for, or need data from more than a few years ago? Contact the National Climatic Data Center. They are the official record-keepers of all weather data, and if you need it, they probably have it. Phone number: (828) 271-4800.

NOAA Weather Radio

NOAA Weather Radio: NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) is another means of communication from the National Weather Service directly to you. NWR broadcasts the latest weather observations, forecasts, and warnings 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The latest radios allow you to program in a specific code for the county in which you live, and the radio will automatically alert you to impending hazardous weather (severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, etc.) should the NWS issue a warning for your county. Read more about NWR at our NOAA Weather Radio page.

Aviation/Marine Forecasts

Aviation/Marine Forecasts: In addition to issuing daily forecasts for land, the NWS office in Gaylord also issues forecasts for 3 airports (KAPN/KTVC/KPLN) as well as the nearshore waters surrounding northern Michigan. You can get the latest forecast information for either the water or the air by following the links provided below:

Aviation Weather Forecasts | Marine Weather Forecasts

Report Your Information to Us

Facebook

Facebook: Join us on Facebook! We post all types of information about ongoing and historic weather, as well as supply various products issued by your local National Weather Service office. Plus, you can send us pictures/video of any interesting weather you see where you live.

Twitter

Twitter: Like to Tweet and want to send in your weather reports? No problem. Using your geocoded coordinates on a mobile device, just use the hashtag #wxreport, #apxwx, #nmiwx, or #miwx followed by what you are observing. Feel free to even throw in a picture of the weather you are seeing. Don't have a device capable of geocoding? Read all about how to use Twitter to send us info via Twitter. Also, visit us on Twitter: @NWSGaylord.

Toll-Free Phone Number

Phone: While certainly an older technology, this one still works great for getting your reports to the NWS in real-time. Please note that this number is for weather reporting purposes only - no forecast questions please. For forecast information, simply use (989) 732-6242.

1 (800) MI-STORM

WX8APX - SKYWARN

Amateur/Ham Radio: Are you a ham radio operator who happens to observe some interesting weather? Feel free to pass it on to us here at the NWS. We are callsign WX8APX. Please note that staffing issues sometimes do not allow us to always respond back to your reports, however we make all attempts to have someone available for ham talk during severe weather events (mainly during the spring/summer).

CoCoRaHS

CoCoRaHS: Like to take and record daily rainfall and/or snowfall measurements? This program is right up your alley. Short for the Community Collaborative Rain and Hail (and Snow) Study, the CoCoRaHS program is made up of thousands of volunteers who take just a few minutes each day to read their rain gages and send in their reports to the NWS using an internet interface. This program is perfect for the home observer interested in following the weather on a daily basis, or even for school groups.