Did you know we have five different local National Weather Service (NWS) offices that service different parts of Wisconsin? Let’s get to know those offices.

What You Need To Know

  • Some NWS offices service multiple states

  • Each office provides weather forecasts and alerts

  • There is more that goes on behind-the-scenes

I reached out to the Warning Coordination Meteorologist from each of the five local NWS offices to gain more insight into which counties they serve and what they want the public (and readers like yourself) to know.

NWS Duluth

We'll start things off with Joe Moore, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Duluth.

WI Counties Served: Eight counties including Douglas, Bayfield, Ashland, Iron, Burnett, Washburn, Sawyer and Price.*

    (*Along with the Wisconsin counties mentioned above, NWS Duluth is also in charge of all of northeastern Minnesota.)

Number of People on Staff: "NWS Duluth has a staff of about 20, with 13 meteorologists working rotating shifts, plus management, support staff, and technicians who work on our equipment like the radar and airport weather stations," said Moore. "We also have a unique position in our office called the Port Meteorological Officer for the Great Lakes. Our Port Meteorological Officer is responsible for installing and maintaining weather observing equipment on dozens of vessels across the Great Lakes, which provides thousands of hourly observations on our lakes - a critical source of information, especially when buoys are often pulled from the lakes in the cooler months."

Goal: "We have a bright and dedicated staff who work hard to not only produce accurate forecasts and warnings, but also make sure we communicate the weather and water hazards well so that everyone in our communities understand the challenges they may face, whether it be a winter storm or severe thunderstorms," said Moore.

Fun Fact: Found on NWS Duluth’s website, back in the early 1990s, their staff size only consisted of five people.

NWS Green Bay

How about we learn more from Kurt Kotenberg, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Green Bay.

WI Counties Served: 22 counties including Vilas, Oneida, Lincoln, Marathon, Wood, Florence, Forest, Langlade, Menominee, Shawano, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, Marinette, Oconto, Outagamie, Winnebago, Calumet, Brown, Manitowoc, Kewaunee and Door.

Number of People on Staff: 22

    16 Meteorologists

    3 Electronic Technicians

    1 Administrative Assistant

    1 Information Technology Officer

    1 Observation Program Leader.

Goal: “We are all very passionate about carrying out our core mission- which is to provide weather, water and climate forecasts, warnings and impact-based decision support services for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy,” said Kotenberg.

Fun Fact: “From June 1971 - Nov. 1995, the doppler radar that serves our forecast area was in Neenah,” said Kotenberg. “This radar (WSR-57 model) was decommissioned and replaced with the NEXRAD radar at Green Bay.”

NWS La Crosse

Next up is Mike Kurz, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS La Crosse.

WI Counties Served: 13 counties including Adams, Buffalo, Clark, Crawford, Grant, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Richland, Taylor, Trempealeau and Vernon.

    (*NWS La Crosse issues forecasts and warnings for 28 counties total. Along with the Wisconsin counties mentioned above, NWS La Crosse is also in charge of 15 other counties in southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa.)

Number of People on Staff: “We employ 15+ meteorologists, but we also have non-meteorologists on staff: an administrative assistant, 3 electronics technicians, and an IT specialist,” said Kurz.

Goal: “Our goal is to build a Weather-Ready Nation by providing the communities we serve with reliable and timely weather forecasts and warnings,” said Kurz. “We want to help residents be prepared and know how to respond to impactful weather, water and climate events.”

Fun Fact: “We have a small apple orchard that the staff enjoys harvesting each fall,” said Kurz. (*jealous*)

NWS Milwaukee

Time to see what Tim Halbach, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Milwaukee, has to say.

WI Counties Served: 20 counties including Sauk, Iowa, Lafayette, Marquette, Green Lake, Columbia, Dane, Green, Rock, Fond du Lac, Dodge, Jefferson, Walworth, Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha.

Number of People on Staff: 24

    1 Meteorologist in Charge

    1 Science and Operations Officer

    1 Warning Coordination Meteorologist

    1 Senior Service Hydrologist

    5 Lead Forecasters

    9 Meteorologists

    1 Information Technology Officer

    1 Observations Program Leader

    1 Electronic Systems Analyst

    2 Electronics Technicians

    1 Administrative Assistant

Goal: “The NWS’s mission is to provide weather, water and climate data, forecasts, warnings and impact-based decision support services for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy,” said Halbach. “Specifically here at NWS Milwaukee, we work closely with many local public safety decision makers to help keep people safe from hazardous weather.”

Fun Fact: “We are the State Liaison office in Wisconsin for the NWS,” said Halbach. “So we work closely with many state agencies such as Wisconsin Emergency Management, Wisconsin National Guard, WisDOT, DNR and FEMA.”

NWS Twin Cities

Last, but certainly not least, Todd Krause, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at NWS Twin Cities.

WI Counties Served: Nine counties including Polk, Barron, Rusk, St. Croix, Dunn, Chippewa, Pierce, Pepin and Eau Claire.

    (*NWS Twin Cities actually issues forecasts and warnings for 51 counties total. Along with the Wisconsin counties mentioned above, NWS Twin Cities is also in charge of 42 other counties in Minnesota.)

Number of People on Staff: "We have 13 meteorologists who rotate through our 24/7/365 schedule, plus 6 more who are either managers, hydrologists, lead our observation program, and attend to our information technology," said Krause. "We also have 4 electronic specialists who maintain our equipment in our office and across our 51 counties. One more staff member is our administrative assistant."

Goal: On top of providing weather forecasts and alerts to the Wisconsin counties they serve, NWS Twin Cities visits with local officials to discuss policies and procedures related to weather safety and communications, inspect observation sites, provide severe weather training, and perform storm damage assessments in the wake of tornadoes and wind storms.

Fun Fact: Todd Krause has been to every city and village (and most towns) in the nine Wisconsin counties they serve!

Contact information

I hope this helped you learn more about your local NWS office. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to your local NWS office by email or on social media:

NWS Duluth

    Email: nws.duluth@noaa.gov

    Facebook: /NWSDuluth

    Twitter: @NWSduluth 

NWS Green Bay

    Email: nws.greenbay@noaa.gov

    Facebook: /NWSGreenBay

    Twitter: @NWSGreenBay

NWS La Crosse

    Email: nws.lacrosse@noaa.gov

    Facebook: /NWSLaCrosse

    Twitter: @NWSLaCrosse 

    Instagram: @nwslacrosse

NWS Milwaukee

    Email: nws.milwaukee@noaa.gov

    Facebook: /NWSMilwaukee 

    Twitter: @NWSMilwaukee 

NWS Twin Cities

    Email: nws.twincities@noaa.gov

    Facebook: /NWSTwinCities

    Twitter: @NWSTwinCities 

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