The Eastern Michigan University (EMU) weather program supports students in the environmental science, earth science, earth science secondary education, and geography programs. Students can start learning about forecasting weather including severe weather to satisfy their general education requirements. Students have used this to explore a career interest in broadcast meteorology or weather forecasting. Students can continue on to more traditional weather survey and climate change courses that serve the earth and environmental science programs. Students can use these degree programs to continue on to a meteorology or climatology graduate program and compete for graduate assistantships that provide paid tuition, fees, and a stipend. Students can also use the general education experience at EMU with proper advising to complete their four-year meteorology degree program elsewhere starting in their Junior year. If you are interested in learning about weather forecasting, please consider taking ESSC 101 Introduction to Weather and Forecasting at Eastern Michigan University. The course (both lecture and lab) is offered online and face-to-face during fall and winter semesters. You can also purchase Weather and Climate Forecasting: The Scientific Method in Action, written by the instructor, Professor Thomas Kovacs, from Kendall Hunt Publishing.

Hands-On Data Applications for Forecasting Concepts

This section provides real-world applications of freely available weather data linked in the weather analysis section below to key concepts in the textbook, "Weather and Climate Forecasting: The Scientific Method in Action (Kendall Hunt)". Designed for both instructors and weather enthusiasts, each example shows how weather analysis websites can be used and connects textbook material and weather concepts, with appropriate chapters, to these current data sources. Instructors can use these examples to enhance lecture topics, build lab activities, or simply explore weather science in action. Weather enthusiasts can see examples of how various sources of data such as weather maps, radar, satellites images, etc. can be applied to ordinary and severe weather events.

  • Severe Weather Outbreak - April 2, 2025

    On April 2, 2025, a widespread severe weather outbreak resulted in 114 confirmed tornadoes stretching from Arkansas and Missouri to the southern Great Lakes. This event offers a valuable example of how real-time weather forecasting tools align with textbook concepts to assess and predict summer hazardous conditions.

    To analyze this outbreak using linked (in green) data with current data available under the weather analysis section, see below:

    1. Convective Outlook
      [See: Weather Outlooks | Related textbook chapter: 12]
      The Storm Prediction Center’s convective outlook provided a large-scale view of the severe weather risk areas for that day, highlighting regions under elevated threat.
    2. Skew-T Diagram – Little Rock, AR
      [See: Skew-T diagrams | Related textbook chapters: 3, 9, 14]
      The skew-T diagram for Little Rock revealed key features associated with tornadic thunderstorm development, including high CAPE values, wind shear, and a strong capping inversion.
    3. 300 mb Upper-Air Map
      [See: Weather Maps | Related textbook chapters: 3, 7, 9]
      At the 300 mb level, the upper-air map showed clear signs of divergence aloft, which supports vertical motion and can help trigger convective development in unstable air masses.
    4. Storm Prediction Center Mesoanalysis
      [See: Mesoanalysis Weather Maps | Related textbook chapter: 14]
      This high-resolution dataset illustrated the mesoscale environment over the affected region. Parameters such as significant tornado potential and hail parameters indicated favorable conditions for intense thunderstorms capable of producing EF2+ tornadoes and large hail.
  • Ice Storm - March 28-30, 2025

    From March 28-30, 2025, a severe ice storm affected northern Michigan with up to 2 inches of ice accumulation. For reference an ice storm warning is issued for damaging ice storms of at least 0.25 inches of ice accumulation. This event offers a valuable example of how real-time weather forecasting tools align with textbook concepts to assess and predict winter hazardous conditions.

    To analyze this outbreak using linked (in green) data with current data available under the weather analysis section, see below:

    1. Surface Map
      [See: Weather Maps | Related textbook chapters 3, 6, and 13]
      The Surface Map provided a large-scale view of the typical setup for an ice storm in winter with a warm front slowly approaching subfreezing surface air.
    2. Skew-T diagram - Alpena, MI
      [See: Skew-T diagrams | Related textbook chapters 3, 9, and 13]
      The skew-T diagram for Alpena, MI reveals key features associated with ice storms, including an above-freezing moist layer above a subfreezing surface layer. In this case, the dewpoint temperature was at or near the air temperature over a deep layer suggesting that this ice storm had a lot of moisture available.

Weather Analysis

Forecasters and weather students analyze various weather maps, radar and satellite images, weather models and more. These are more data dense than viewed on public media such as TV and phone apps. Use the drop down menus to access publicly available weather data used by weather forecasters.

About EMU Weather

Local Weather

Go to the Weatherbug site.

News and Events

Catch a glimpse of how meteorologists forecast the weather and how accurate these forecasts are. Take ESSC 101 at EMU to learn much more.

See how waves from the Tonga Volcanic eruption moved through the global atmosphere and briefly lifted fog in Seattle, WA.

EMU Student Observations

See a cool lightning picture from October 2023 in southeast Michigan. This lightning went from cloud-to-air (not to the ground).

See a moon halo from November 5, 2022 in Tecumseh, MI. Halos around moon and sun can predict precipitation within the next 24 hours.