Geography & Geology

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.

• Past Weather and Climate

  Access past weather map, precipitation, and temperature data.

  • Archived NOAA Surface Maps back to 2005
  • Past Precipitation Amounts
  • Past Temperature Data

• Hydrologic Conditions

  Access Great Lake surface temperature and ice cover and US river flood stage.

  • Great Lakes surface water temperature
  • River flood stage observations
  • Snow depth and snow water content
  • Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) maps of snow depth, stream flow, soil moisture
  • Drought Monitor
  • El Nino/La Nina Equatorial Pacific Sea Surface Temperatures

• Local Conditions and Forecasts

  Access current and archived data from EMU's weather station on the roof of Mark Jefferson Science Complex.

  National Weather Service Forecast Office for Detroit/Pontiac

• Radar

  Access surface-based U.S. Doppler radar images to see precipitating weather systems and their movement.

• Satellite

  Access satellite images of the atmosphere including visible, infrared, and water vapor images. More functionality with images and loops are available at each location. 

  • GOES East Full Earth Disk 12 image (2 hr) loop visible (day) and infrared (night)
  • GOES East Continental US 12 image (2 hr) loop visible (day) and infrared (night)
  • GOES East Continental US 12 image (2 hr) loop infrared (band 13)
  • GOES East Continental US 12 image (2 hr) loop upper troposphere water vapor (band 8)
  • GOES East high-resolution multiple hour loops of areas of interest

• Skew T Diagrams

  Access weather balloon data plotted on a special skew T diagram that allows analysis of precipitation type, air quality, and severe thunderstorm potential.

• Weather Maps

  Access data from the network of weather balloons placed on weather maps of decreasing pressures (and therefore increasing altitudes) to get a cross-section of the atmosphere.

  • Current NOAA Surface Map including isobars, station models, and fronts
  • Current American Meteorological Society Surface Map
  • NOAA Upper-air Maps including 925 mb, 850 mb, 700 mb, 500 mb, 300 mb, and 250 mb maps
  • American Meteorological Society Upper-air Maps
  • High resolution (mesoanalysis) weather maps for severe weather forecasting

• Weather Models

  Access data from various weather models from rapidly updating short-term regional weather models to long-term global weather models. The links below takes you to one weather model output selection page for each model. Go to the Model Analysis and Guidance page for more options.

  • Rapid Refresh (RAP) model is a regional model with new data every hour.
  • North American Model (NAM) is a longer forecast range regional model.
  • Global Forecast System (GFS) is the longest forecast range global model.
  • Global Ensemble Forecast System (GEFS) is an ensemble forecast system with multiple model runs (ensemble) providing a range of forecast guidance.
  • NAM and GFS Forecast Skew-T diagrams
  • Model Output Statistics (MOS) are a statistical method of transferring model data to ground stations for a more traditional station weather forecast. MOS statistics will be soon phased out, but are included until that happens.

• Weather Outlooks

  Access various long-range and hazardous weather forecast outlooks.

  • 6-10 day outlook
  • 8-14 day outlook
  • 3-4 week outlook
  • 1 month outlook
  • 3 month outlook (These are the seasonal outlooks such as for Winter)
  • 3-7 day US Hazards Outlook
  • 8-14 day US Hazards Outlook
  • Convective (Thunderstorm and Severe Weather) Outlook
  • Fire Weather Outlook