National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Heat Wave Persists Over the Central U.S.; Significant Flooding Expected in the Northern Mid-Atlantic Tuesday

Dangerous and extreme heat will remain across portions of the Central U.S. this week, persisting across the Mid to Lower Mississippi Valleys, Gulf Coast, Southern Plains and portions of Texas. A heat wave over the Southwest will intensify late this week. Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding will spread from the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast the next few days. Read More >

We appreciate your interest in becoming a trained weather spotter.  Coordination of weather spotters and community volunteer groups is performed by individual counties.  We suggest that you contact your county emergency management office for more information on how to become involved with any volunteer groups in your area.

The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Grand Rapids is responsible for the Skywarn program in the following Michigan counties:

  • Allegan
  • Barry
  • Calhoun
  • Clare
  • Clinton
  • Eaton
  • Gratiot
  • Ingham
  • Ionia
  • Isabella
  • Jackson
  • Kalamazoo
  • Kent
  • Lake
  • Mason
  • Mecosta
  • Montcalm
  • Muskegon
  • Newaygo
  • Oceana
  • Osceola
  • Ottawa
  • Van Buren

Weather Spotter Training Information

Our in-person spotter training classes are conducted around lower Michigan from late February through April each year.  Please keep an eye on the following web pages https://www.weather.gov/grandrapids and https://www.weather.gov/grr/spottertraining after the first of the year for the course schedule.  In the meantime, the link below will take you to a free online course that will introduce you to the basics of weather spotting.