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The pusher tug Clyde S. VanEnkevort, left, navigates through ice to connect with the Erie Trader barge in March 2018. Crew members from the Clyde S. VanEnkevort topped the NOAA weather observation reporting leaderboard in 2025. DULUTHPORT.COM | 15 REW MEMBERS FROM THE CLYDE S. VANENKEVORT submitted 1,471 manual weather observation reports in 2025, leading all vessels on the Great Lakes in manual contributions to the National Weather Service's Voluntary Observing Ships program. Built in Erie, Pennsylvania, the Clyde S. VanEnkevort is a 10,700-horsepower pusher tug that notches into barges specially built for Great Lakes shipping. In this articulated tug-barge configuration, the tug 's bow fits into a stern notch on barges like the Erie Trader or Michigan Trader, with hydraulic rams engaging vertical channels to create a mechanically locked connection that functions as a single 845-foot vessel. Cargo vessels traversing Lake Superior and the Great Lakes routinely report atmospheric conditions to help meteorologists improve forecasts and verify weather models. Crew members record barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, air temperature and their precise location, then submit the data through an online form that generates standardized BBXX code—a global maritime weather reporting format administered by the World Meteorological Organization. "For vessels on the Great Lakes, we are mainly looking for pressure, wind speed/direction, and temperature," said Bryan Howell, port meteorological officer at the National Weather Service office in Duluth, Minnesota. "Anything else is a bonus that we greatly appreciate." The observations feed directly into numerical weather prediction models and support the 139 NOAA maritime products that rely on ship-based data. With nearly 30 buoys and observation stations across Lake Superior, the real-time information helps forecasters issue more accurate warnings for dangerous conditions, including high winds and waves exceeding 25 feet. Several Great Lakes vessels are also equipped for automated weather reporting, transmitting observations directly to NOAA without crew input. Those automated feeds, combined with high-volume manual contributors like the VanEnkevort crew, give forecasters a denser, more reliable picture of marine conditions across Lake Superior and beyond. C