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CANWARN 2021 and Beyond:

Posted on by VA3DBJ

Scheduled for Wednesday, June 9

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network)

For immediate release:

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT
RAC Community Services Officer

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada, is pleased to present a special event for Amateurs and non-Amateurs: CANWARN 2021 and Beyond.

CANWARN logo

Date: Wednesday, June 9
Time: 7 pm EDT
Cost: There is no registration fee for this event.

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) is a network of volunteer Amateur Radio operators who observe and report both winter and summer severe weather conditions.

In this special one-on-one session, Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, RAC Community Services Officer, and Geoff Coulson, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, will discuss the past, present and future of CANWARN – which like everything else has been impacted by the global pandemic.

Although formal training may not happen as often in the future due to resource pressures, online training materials and the continued interest of Amateur Radio clubs to set up CANWARN nets during potentially severe events will ensure the continuity of storm reporting through Amateur Radio for years to come.

Date: Wednesday, June 9

Time: 7 pm EDT

Cost: There is no registration fee for this event.

Who: This will be a behind the scenes look at the CANWARN program and it is open to everyone.

Who: This event is open to anyone who is interested in hearing more about CANWARN. It is not a training course, just a unique information event.

Registration: Please register now by clicking on the following link:

https://adric-ca.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5AlcumtpjIqHdxFSfjGrpxwcr3P_QciZ03e

For more information on the program, please visit the RAC CANWARN webpage.

Geoff Coulson, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist:

“Geoff Coulson has been a Meteorologist for 37 years. He worked for Environment Canada for 35 of those years as an Operational Forecaster, Trainer, Outreach Officer and Warning Preparedness Meteorologist (WPM).

As a WPM, he provided a variety of clients with weather information from media to other levels of government and the private sector. He managed the CANWARN Storm Spotter Program in Ontario and sat on the Provincial Flood and Forecasting Committee for a number of years.

Since retirement, Geoff has continued to provide weather presentations and has returned to Environment Canada on a part-time basis to help with specific projects. Recently, he began to learn to play the digital piano. His wife is very happy the digital piano has a headphone jack.”

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, RAC Community Services Officer:

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, has served as RAC Community Services Officer since January 1, 2020. He received his Amateur Radio certification in 2014 and served as the Emergency Coordinator for the Barrie and South Simcoe ARES team for three years and as the District Emergency Coordinator for the Lakes District in Ontario for two years.

Jason’s focus has been on promoting and educating his local communities about Amateur Radio and the benefits of the service in our community. He previously served as the Director of Community Services for the Barrie Amateur Radio Club and served as its Vice-President, and worked with the public and community groups and other organizations for public and educational events.

Jason’s background is in Emergency Services and Security. He previously volunteered with St John Ambulance and with the Red Cross as an Instructor and a member of Disaster Services, where he “learned about working with others and the critical need for great support and defined training systems”.

Jason resides with his wife and family in Beeton, Ontario and is a member of the Barrie Amateur Radio Club.

Additional information about CANWARN

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) is a network of volunteer Amateur Radio operators who observe and report both winter and summer severe weather conditions.

Severe storms can occur  at any time of the year. Spring and summer thunderstorms can flare up suddenly and race along at speeds in excess of 80 km/h. Large hail, damaging winds, flash floods and tornadoes are all linked to severe thunderstorms. Large-scale fall and winter storms can deliver significant impacts over a broad area. Heavy snow, freezing rain, rain and strong winds can occur with these storms.

CANWARN volunteers are trained to look for clues in the sky as to which spring and summer storms may produce damaging weather. They can also report information like hail size and any damage that has resulted from the passage of a storm. For fall and winter storms, CANWARN volunteers can report things like occurrences of freezing precipitation and snowfall amounts.

These volunteers come from all walks of life: Amateur Radio operators, first responders, government employees and members of the general public with an interest in providing a service to others.

Reports are passed on via Amateur Radio to a network controller who triages the reports and sends the significant ones on to the forecasters of the Ontario Storm Prediction Center in Toronto.

In Ontario, their reports are sent to the Ontario Storm Prediction Centre (OSPC) in Toronto through social media and/or a special email address. These timely reports can help the forecasters better understand the nature of a given storm and help to tailor the messages they send to the public about them.

RAC Presents CANWARN Spring Training Session: May 26

Posted on by VA3DBJ

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) – SESSION COMPLETED

For immediate release:

Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT
RAC Community Services Officer

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada, is pleased to announce that we have partnered with the Ontario Storm Prediction Centre Team (OSPC) to provide CANWARN Training this spring.

This will be a one-time session for this season, offered through the Zoom online meeting platform.

Date: Wednesday, May 26

Time: 7 pm EDT

New RAC bulletin logo November 2019

CANWARN (CANadian Weather Amateur Radio Network) is a network of volunteer Amateur Radio operators who observe and report both winter and summer severe weather conditions.

Topics covered in the training session will include the basics of thunderstorm formation, the types of damage severe thunderstorms can produce and what to look for in the sky. Winter severe weather will be touched on as well.

The training also provides ways that storm reports can be provided to the OSPC and a number of safety tips to keep storm spotters safe.

Registration: 

To register for the training session please visit the RAC CANWARN webpage at:

https://www.rac.ca/emergency-services/canwarn/

Additional information about CANWARN

Severe storms can occur  at any time of the year. Spring and summer thunderstorms can flare up suddenly and race along at speeds in excess of 80 km/h. Large hail, damaging winds, flash floods and tornadoes are all linked to severe thunderstorms.

Large-scale fall and winter storms can deliver significant impacts over a broad area. Heavy snow, freezing rain, rain and strong winds can occur with these storms.

CANWARN volunteers are trained to look for clues in the sky as to which spring and summer storms may produce damaging weather. They can also report information like hail size and any damage that has resulted from the passage of a storm.

For fall and winter storms, CANWARN volunteers can report things like occurrences of freezing precipitation and snowfall amounts.

These volunteers come from all walks of life: Amateur Radio operators, first responders, government employees and members of the general public with an interest in providing a service to others.

Reports are passed on via Amateur Radio to a net controller at the Environment Canada Weather Centre in Toronto. This information is then passed directly to the forecasters for incorporation into the forecast.

In Ontario, their reports are sent to the Ontario Storm Prediction Centre (OSPC) in Toronto through social media and/or a special email address. These timely reports can help the forecasters better understand the nature of a given storm and help to tailor the messages they send to the public about them.

For more information on the program, please visit the RAC CANWARN webpage.

Federal Government Buying New Weather Radar

Posted on by VA3DBJ

The federal government is moving to improve Canada’s ability to warn people about severe weather, including tornadoes.

The government announced on May 28, 2017 that it has signed an $83-million contract for 20 state-of-the-art weather radars that are to be built across the country over seven years starting this fall.

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said the radars, along with a recently acquired supercomputer, will give people more time to protect themselves and their property from severe weather.

“This important investment will help us modernize Canada’s weather service infrastructure and make sure our meteorologists can provide the fastest and most accurate weather forecasts,” McKenna said in Dorval, Que.

The government said the new system will cover more of Canada and double the detection range for tornadoes and other severe weather such as hurricanes, thunderstorms and snow storms.

Environment Canada said more accurate forecasts will help municipalities better plan snow clearing, give outdoor festivals more information about whether to cancel an event and improve air-traffic safety by providing information on when to route planes around storms.

Better data from radar images of precipitation in drainage basins is expected to help provinces forecast flooding. It should also help meteorologists better distinguish between rain, snow, hail and freezing rain.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada said severe weather due to climate change is costing Canadians billions of dollars each year, including a record $4.9 billion in insured damage in 2016. The bureau warned severe weather damage is on an upward trend that shows no signs of stopping.

The new radars will replace Canada’s aging network of 31 Doppler radars, some of which have had outages due to wear and tear.

Decisions on exactly when the new radars will be built are pending. In most cases, radars are to be built at or near existing sites, said Veronique Bouchet, an Environment Canada spokeswoman.

The network is to include one new radar site near Fort McMurray, Alta. Bouchet said there is lots of severe weather and economic activity in the oilsands region, as well as a busy airport.

“There are a lot more individuals that need to function in that area and we need to make sure they are safe in doing so,” she said.

The modernized network to be built by the German firm Selex ES will also provide weather information that can be used in almost every sector of the economy, McKenna said.

The radar system is to work in tandem with a new high-performance computer being built by IBM in the Montreal area that will use radar and other data to make weather and climate models. The $430-million supercomputer contract was awarded in May.

Bouchet said the radar network, along with satellite and other data, will provide meteorologists with better information to analyze what’s coming.

“That helps us to have much better forecasts looking in the next couple of hours, the next 24 hours and the next two or three days.”

First Heat Event of 2018 Summer Season

Posted on by VA3DBJ

The first heat event of the season is setting up for Monday and Monday night for portions of Southwestern Ontario and the Golden Horseshoe Area.

A warm and humid airmass is expected to move into Southern Ontario on Monday May 28th. The daytime maximum temperatures are likely to reach the low thirties with overnight lows near 20 degrees Celsius.

These conditions pose a health risk when you are not used to the heat.

Everyone is at risk from heat, especially older adults; infants and young children; and people with chronic illnesses.

You are advised to 1) drink plenty of cool liquids before feeling thirsty; and 2) keep cool by dressing for the weather and spending a few hours each day in a cool place.

Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada. To report severe weather, send an email to [email protected] or tweet reports using #ONStorm.