Weather alerts for the NWS Gaylord MI forecast area
NWS Weather Forecast Office Gaylord MI, covering Michigan.
Active alerts
5 active: 5 advisories.
Marine
- Small Craft Advisory Until Oct 30, 12:00 PM UTC
St. Marys River Point Iroquois to E. Potagannissing Bay
- Small Craft Advisory Until Oct 29, 06:00 PM UTC
Sturgeon Pt to Alabaster MI
- Small Craft Advisory Until Oct 30, 12:00 PM UTC
Straits of Mackinac within 5 nm of Mackinac Bridge including Mackinac Island; St Ignace to False Detour Channel; 5NM East of Mackinac Bridge to Presque Isle Light MI including Bois Blanc Island; Presque Isle Light to Sturgeon Pt MI Including Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary
- Small Craft Advisory Until Oct 29, 06:00 PM UTC
Grand Traverse Bay south of a line Grand Traverse Light to Norwood MI; Seul Choix Point to 5NM West of Mackinac Bridge; Norwood MI to 5NM West of Mackinac Bridge including Little Traverse Bay; Sleeping Bear Point to Grand Traverse Light MI; Point Betsie to Sleeping Bear Point MI; Manistee to Point Betsie MI
- Small Craft Advisory Until Oct 30, 12:00 PM UTC
Whitefish Bay (U.S. Portion)/Whitefish Point to Point Iroquois MI
Listed by area: every active alert covering a county or zone of this office's area, whichever office issued it. Select an alert to see it on the map.
The area
25 counties in the NWS Gaylord MI forecast area:
Michigan
- Alcona
- Alpena
- Antrim
- Arenac
- Benzie
- Charlevoix
- Cheboygan
- Chippewa
- Crawford
- Emmet
- Gladwin
- Grand Traverse
- Iosco
- Kalkaska
- Leelanau
- Mackinac
- Manistee
- Missaukee
- Montmorency
- Ogemaw
- Oscoda
- Otsego
- Presque Isle
- Roscommon
- Wexford
Public forecast zones (30)
- Alcona MIZ030
- Alpena MIZ024
- Antrim MIZ021
- Arenac MIZ042
- Beaver Island and surrounding islands MIZ098
- Benzie MIZ025
- Central Chippewa MIZ087
- Charlevoix MIZ099
- Cheboygan MIZ017
- Crawford MIZ028
- Eastern Mackinac MIZ096
- Emmet MIZ016
- Gladwin MIZ041
- Grand Traverse MIZ026
- Iosco MIZ036
- Kalkaska MIZ027
- Leelanau MIZ020
- Mackinac Island/Bois Blanc Island MIZ097
- Manistee MIZ031
- Missaukee MIZ033
- Montmorency MIZ023
- Ogemaw MIZ035
- Oscoda MIZ029
- Otsego MIZ022
- Presque Isle MIZ018
- Roscommon MIZ034
- Southeast Chippewa MIZ088
- Western Chippewa MIZ086
- Western Mackinac MIZ095
- Wexford MIZ032
Marine zones (19)
- 5NM East of Mackinac Bridge to Presque Isle Light MI including Bois Blanc Island LHZ347
- Grand Traverse Bay south of a line Grand Traverse Light to Norwood MI LMZ323
- Lake Huron from 5NM east of Mackinac Bridge to Presque Isle Lt to the US/Canadian border beyond 5 NM from shore LHZ361
- Lake Huron from Presque Isle Lt. to Sturgeon Point MI 5NM off shore to US/Canadian border LHZ362
- Lake Huron from Sturgeon Point to Alabaster MI 5NM off shore to US/Canadian border LHZ363
- Lake Michigan from Charlevoix to Point Betsie MI 5NM Offshore to mid lake LMZ364
- Lake Michigan from Point Betsie to Manistee MI 5NM offshore to Mid Lake LMZ366
- Lake Michigan South of a line from Seul Choix Point to the Mackinac Bridge and North of a line from Charlevoix MI to South Fox Island 5NM offshore LMZ362
- Manistee to Point Betsie MI LMZ346
- Norwood MI to 5NM West of Mackinac Bridge including Little Traverse Bay LMZ342
- Point Betsie to Sleeping Bear Point MI LMZ345
- Presque Isle Light to Sturgeon Pt MI Including Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary LHZ348
- Seul Choix Point to 5NM West of Mackinac Bridge LMZ341
- Sleeping Bear Point to Grand Traverse Light MI LMZ344
- St Ignace to False Detour Channel LHZ346
- St. Marys River Point Iroquois to E. Potagannissing Bay LSZ322
- Straits of Mackinac within 5 nm of Mackinac Bridge including Mackinac Island LHZ345
- Sturgeon Pt to Alabaster MI LHZ349
- Whitefish Bay (U.S. Portion)/Whitefish Point to Point Iroquois MI LSZ321
Area Forecast Discussion
Issued Oct 28, 10:40 AM UTC
000
FXUS63 KAPX 281040
AFDAPX
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Gaylord MI
640 AM EDT Wed Oct 28 2026
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Above normal temps return today, and persist thru the
forecast.
- Very good shower chances late tonight into Thursday morning.
A few t-storms possible late tonight.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 315 AM EDT Wed Oct 28 2026
Broad return flow is currently underway in the Great Lakes,
between high pressure over New England, and an emerging cold
front in the central and northern plains. Warm/moist advection
is interacting with a couple of shortwaves transiting the region
early this morning. This has resulted in a baroclinic leaf
pattern over and east of MI, along with sporadic light showers,
especially in eastern upper MI. However, the back edge of this
cloud cover is beginning to advance east across northern Lake
MI.
Wsw flow aloft persists into late Thursday, before a passing
shortwave swings winds aloft to zonal and then wnw. The latter
also occurs as ridging in the northern US plains and Canadian
prairie builds by this weekend.
Leftover showers will depart, and cloud cover drastically
reduce, over the next several hours. Mainly sunny skies are
progged for northern lower MI after mid-morning, while the
eastern UP has a bit more cloud cover today. Warm advection and
at least partial sunshine will contribute to much warmer temps
today. If anything, guidance has trended slightly warmer today.
Highs today in northern lower MI range from the mid-upper 60s
along most coastlines, to near 70/lower 70s inland. The eastern
UP will see low-mid 60s. Borrowing from the previous forecaster:
Oct 28 High Temperature Records
Location | High Temp (Year)
ANJ | 64 F (1924)
PLN | 71 F (1955)
GLR | 70 F (1955)
APN | 75 F (1989)
HTL | 73 F (1989)
TVC | 80 F (1927)
We should threaten ANJ/PLN/GLR and perhaps HTL.
As shortwaves race east across southern Canada, low pressure will
consolidate and strengthen over northern Ontario tonight. An
associated cold front enters the eastern UP and far northern
lower MI late tonight, and the rest of northern MI Thursday.
Though the strongest forcing remains in Canada, heights do
gradually lower here beginning late tonight, and a (veering)
low level jet will support moisture transport northward in the
warm sector. Initial precip chances reach western Chip/Mack Cos,
and the nw lower MI coast, toward midnight tonight. Likely to
categorical pops arrive in nw and n central lower MI, and the
eastern UP, overnight. Precip should become somewhat diffuse by
the time we reach sunrise, as the low level jet veers parallel
to the incoming surface cold front. The nw half of the forecast
area has thunder possible (noting the entire forecast area is in
the most recent day 1 outlook from SPC).
Spotty showers remain possible Thu morning, but better moisture/
forcing/instability will be suppressed south as the day proceeds.
No precip after mid-afternoon, and a likely period of at least
partial sunshine, perhaps more than that in northern lower. This
will support continued mild temps, though not as warm as today
except near Saginaw Bay.
High pressure builds from the Canadian high prairie to the Great
Lakes, providing quiet wx to close the work week and even into
the weekend. For now, guidance is continuing to reduce pops this
weekend, as relatively meager return flow gets gobbled up by
persistent dry low-level air off of the high pressure, by then
to our east. Precip chances are now progged to ramp up after
Monday, as both northern and southern stream upper trofs advance
from the west. Above-normal temps thus seem likely to persist
well into next week.
&&
.AVIATION /12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY/...
Issued at 640 AM EDT Wed Oct 28 2026
VFR. Early morning showers will depart eastern upper MI shortly.
Clouds will decrease behind this, with mostly sunny skies today
in northern lower MI, partly cloudy in eastern upper. Clouds
increase again tonight, and showers and likely in the north and
west after midnight. Not impossible for a TSRA as well, though
this chance is small enough to not mention yet. Cigs will
thicken and lower as showers move in, but are expected to remain
VFR.
Southerly breezes increase today, and gustier yet tonight. LLWS
also develops tonight at all sites.
&&
.APX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MI...None.
MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 1 AM Thursday to 8 AM EDT Friday for
LHZ345>348.
Small Craft Advisory from 1 AM to 2 PM EDT Thursday for LHZ349.
Small Craft Advisory from 9 PM this evening to 2 PM EDT
Thursday for LMZ323-341-342-344>346.
Small Craft Advisory from 1 AM Thursday to 8 AM EDT Friday for
LSZ321-322.
&&
$$
DISCUSSION...JZ
AVIATION...JZ