Milwaukee Harbor Lakeshore Observation Relocation Completed!

National Weather Service technicians have completed the relocation of the Milwaukee Harbor lakeshore weather observation equipment (MLWW3). The equipment has been moved to a new safer, more secure location on Milwaukee Harbor.

Old Location on McKinley Marina breakwall

The weather station had been located on a US Coast Guard platform, on the break-wall extending into Milwaukee harbor from McKinley Park, as shown in the above images. The equipment was about a half mile from the McKinley Marina dock and parking lot. This distance created a hardship for NWS technicians when the equipment needed maintenance or repair. In addition, the equipment was susceptible to vandalism as the break-wall is open to pedestrian traffic.

Hence a more secure and convenient, serviceable site was located for the equipment. With the approval of the US Coast Guard and the Port of Milwaukee, a new site was located about 2.8 miles to the south on the south end of Milwaukee Harbor, on the Port of Milwaukee grounds adjacent to the Lake Express Terminal.

The new location is on private Port of Milwaukee property, behind a locked fence. This location is much more serviceable for our technicians as well. Below are images of the equipment on the new location taken on August 15th.

New Location on Port of Milwaukee grounds

The latest weather information from this new location is available on the National Data Buoy Center website at https://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=mlww3.

National Weather Service - Milwaukee/Sullivan