Meteorological Service of Canada
Weather Services for Emergency Management
Edmonton July 11, 2004
Calgary June 2005
Pine Lake July 14, 2000 (Dennis Dudley)
Calgary August 9, 1999
W Maple Creek, June 19, 2010 (Kevin Wingert)
John Paul Cragg
March 2012
Calgary November 27, 2011
Weather Services for Emergency Management
• Environment Canada Meteorologists, Who
We Are
• The Impacts Of Weather On Saskatchewan
• Weather Information That Environment
Canada Provides And Where You Can Find It
• Extra Services Provided To EMO
• Future EC Weather Services
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Warning Preparedness Meteorologist
• Focus on Severe/High Impact weather
• Media spokesperson Severe/High Impact
Weather
• Work with Emergency Measure Organizations
(Environment Canada products and services, weather
safety and preparedness, reviewing and participating
emergency exercises, etc.)
• Storm Site Surveys (major weather event)
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PASPC
- Largest area of responsibility
in the world
–
–
–
–
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~140 forecast regions
Over 800 warning regions
Large marine responsibility
9 Doppler Radars
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The impacts of weather
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Natural Disasters
• In Canada over the last
century,
80% of all natural
disasters were Weather
or Water related!!!
(Pine Lake July 2000, photo courtesy Dennis Dudley EC)
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Emergencies – Direct Result of Weather
• Thunderstorms (large hail, damaging winds, intense
lightning, flash flooding)
• Damaging winds (non Thunderstorm)
• Heavy Rains (flooding)
• Tornadoes (Saskatchewan ~ 12/year)
• Heavy Snow
• Blizzards
• Extreme Wind chills
• Freezing Rain
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1991-2010 avg. Severe Thunderstorm Event
Stats
EVENT TYPE
ALBERTA
SASKATCHEWAN
MANITOBA
TOTAL
HAIL
49
47
32
128
WIND
14
18
11
44
TORNADO
11
12
9
31
RAIN
7
6
7
21
TOTAL
81
84
59
224
Of course, this only includes the events we are told about or otherwise
detect!
Plus Lightning!
Total Lightning Days Summer 2010
Flooding
July 1st 2010– Thunderstorm complex tracked
through central SK into the MB Interlake. Golf ball
to baseball sized hail in central SK and flash
flooding in Yorkton, SK.
14
Flooding
July 22nd 2010– Slow-moving intense
thunderstorm produced 125 mm (5 inches) of rain
in the North Battleford.
15
Tornadoes
Widespread Damage from Devastating F3 Tornado in
Kawacatoose First Nation and around Raymore and
Semans, July 2, 2010.
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Winter Severe Weather
• Kills and injuries many more Canadians than Summer Severe
Weather
– Traffic collisions
– Snow shovelling
– Slips and falls
– Hypothermia/exposure to cold
• Storms on a massive scale with large impacts
Scale of a Summer Storm
One storm covering part of a county
Scale of a Winter Storm
One storm covering thousands of square kilometres
Snow
Heavy
Snow Freezing
Rain
X
Rain
Showers
L
Emergencies – Weather Secondary Impact
• Major Fires
• Well Blow-outs
• Pipeline ruptures
• Train Derailments
• Major Chemical spills/releases
• Etc.
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Weather Information that Environment
Canada provides and where you can
find it
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Environment Canada Watch/Warning
Program
Environment
Canada’s Weather
Service number 1
mandate is to provide
Canadians with as
much lead time as
possible in advance of
severe events
throughout the year
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Weather Warnings,
Weather Watches
and Special Weather Statements
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Special Weather Statement
• Significantly unusual and noteworthy weather that
does not necessarily meet weather warning criteria
– Early or Late seasonal Snowfall (less than 10
cm)
– Extensive fog, smoke or airborne dust
– Patchy freezing drizzle
• Lead time 12 hours to 2 days
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Weather
Watch
WATCH - Yellow Alert
– Nothing may be happening, but the potential exists for severe
thunderstorms to develop within the next few hours (watch generally
issued with 2-6 hrs lead time)
– Stay tuned for updated forecasts/warnings
Summer (Thunderstorm and Tornadoes)
- target lead time Tornado watch: 1 to 2 hours
- target lead time for Thunderstorm watch: 6 hours
Winter (Winter Storms)
- target lead time 12 to 48 hours
Weather
Warning
WARNING – Red Alert
– Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings
• Severe weather is occurring or immanent, Take immediate action!
– Other Weather Warnings
• Severe weather is occurring or is expected to occur within the next 12 hours
Summer (Tornadoes and Severe Thunderstorms)
- target lead time for Tornado Warnings: 30 minutes
- target lead time for Severe Thunderstorm Warnings: 30 minutes
Other Weather Warnings (Blizzard, Snowfall, Rainfall, Wind, etc)
- target lead time 12 hours
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Weather Watch –
Be aware of the potential dangers!
Weather Warning –
Take Action!
Lightning…
• Environment Canada Does not issue Watches
and Warnings if lightning is the only threat.
www.weatheroffice.gc.ca
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www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/warnings
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Large Scale Regions –
Forecasts, Watches, Winter Warnings
Small Scale Warning Regions –
Severe Thunderstorm or Tornado
Radar
Imagery
• Imagery available in near realtime
• Loops at 10 minute intervals
over a 1 or 3 hour period
Historical Weather Data
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Seasonal Forecasts
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Seasonal Forecasts
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Seasonal Forecasts
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Seasonal Forecasts
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(*62 City Pages)
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Weatheradio
• Continuous broadcast of weather info
• Line of sight broadcast…trees, hills may
disrupt signal
• Standby mode  Tone Alert when Warnings
issued
• Specific Area Message Encoding – (SAME)
Get the Warnings for YOUR area
• Special frequencies…so require a special
receiver
Extra Services Provided To EMO
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Environment Canada EMO Training Sessions
1) Weather Services for EMO’s
2) Weather Safety and Weather Preparedness
(general weather)
3) Storm Recognition (summer focus)
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Emergency Exercises
•
•
•
•
Assist in hazard identification and risk assessment
Assist in exercise design
Provision of mock weather bulletins
Presentation on severe weather as prelude to exercise
EC Storm Prediction Centres
•1 800-66STORM (1 800 667 8676)
• To be used by Emergency Management Personnel (municipal, provincial or
federal) for major emergencies or catastrophic events when;
– Current weather forecast lacks detail necessary to combat situation or
Significant discrepancy between EC weather forecast and current conditions
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Wabamum, AB August 3, 2005
• 43 Rail cars derailed
• Up to 1.3 million litres of heavy Bunker C Fuel
Oil spilled from rail cars
• Spilled substance made it to the lake
• Emergency request made to Environment
Canada to provide specialized point weather
forecast to assist clean-up operations
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Specialized Product
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Tsuu T’ina Nation Garbage Fire Feb 15, 2012
(SW Calgary, Feb 15/12, Rick Donkers YYC Herald)
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Hythe AB, Gas Well Blow-Out
• February 24, 2010
• Gas well blow-out
• Environment Canada
Environmental
Emergency Response
Section
•
(Dec 20, 2011 Port Lambton On Marina
fire, dispersion model information
available in 58 minutes)
(Photo courtesy CBC News)
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Specialized Product
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Future EC Weather Services
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Future EC Weather Services –
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I-Alert
Future EC Weather Services –
I-Alert (email notification)
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Future EC Weather Services –
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I-Alert
I-Alert Output
(Short Message)
(Long Message)
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MASAS (Multi-Agency Situational Awareness System)
Goal: Enable sharing of location based situational awareness non-sensitive information
and alerts between Emergency Management and Response Agencies
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MASAS
•www.MASAS-X.ca
(view or apply to sign up)
•www.MASAS.ca
(technical details)
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Future EC Weather Services
“Early Notification Project”
• Providing some type of information service to
highlight significant weather for a 3 day period
• Focus on “High Impact Weather”
• Base weather information on known weather
sensitivities
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EMO Weather Outlook (Example)
Significant Weather Discussion for Ontario Provincial Emergency Operations Centre
provided by Environment Canada’s Ontario Storm Prediction Centre issued at 5:00 AM
EST Friday 20 January 2012. Discussion valid for today, tonight and Saturday with an
outlook for Sunday.

Today… Cold Arctic air will generate flurries and localized snow squalls to the east of
Lake Superior, affecting Hwy 17. A snow squall watch will likely be upgraded to a warning
as the squalls intensify later this morning. Snowfall amounts up to 15 centimetres are
possible. Otherwise no significant weather is expected.

Tonight... Flurries and squalls east of Lake Superior will gradually weaken and shift
south. An area of snow from a passing disturbance south of the Great Lakes will give
upwards of 5 cm across southwestern Ontario (grazing the GTA). There is high
confidence in this event.

Saturday… No significant weather is expected.

Outlook for Sunday... A more significant disturbance will head towards the upper Great
Lakes with 10 to 15 centimetres of snow possible around Lake Superior and northeast
toward Hearst and Timmins.
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In Closing;
1)1 800 667 8676 (Emergency Environment Canada
Weather Services Contact Number)
2)Specialized Emergency Services for
EMO’s (emergency phone consultation, atmospheric
dispersion products, specialized forecasts for longer term
catastrophic situations, etc.)
3)I can be contacted at
John.Cragg@ec.gc.ca or 306-975-6911
after May 1st
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