weather

Weather Spotter Workshops and Q&A Event: May and June

Posted on by VA3DBJ

RAC Event: Weather Spotter Workshop “Beyond CanWarn” and Q&A Event

Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the national association for Amateur Radio in Canada, is pleased to present two upcoming “Beyond CanWarn” Weather Spotter Workshops for Amateurs and non-Amateurs. In addition, a special “Beyond CanWarn” Q&A Live Event will also be held to close off this year’s training session.

Please visit the CanWarn webpage to register now: https://www.rac.ca/canwarn/

Weather Spotter Workshops: May 18 and June 14

The Weather Spotter Workshops events will be hosted by RAC Community Services Officer Jason Tremblay, VE3JXT, and will once again feature special guest Warning Preparedness Meteorologist Geoff Coulson as described below.

Both events will be held online via Zoom and are identical so you can just pick the one that works best for you. Please see the Registration section below for more information. They are available to everyone: Amateurs and non-Amateurs.

In these special events, Geoff Coulson, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, will discuss topics including 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.

Safety tips for you and your family and how to report weather to Environment and Climate Change Canada will be covered in these training sessions.

The training also provides ways that storm reports can be provided to Environment and Climate Change Canada and several safety tips to keep storm spotters safe.

Dates: Thursday, May 18 and Wednesday, June 14

Time: 7 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Cost: There is no fee for this event.

Please visit the CanWarn webpage to register now: https://www.rac.ca/canwarn/

Q&A Live Event: June 28

In this special online live, zoom event, Geoff Coulson, Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, and Jason Tremblay, RAC Community Services Officer, will discuss a number of topics including:

  • the current climate crisis
  • El Niño effects for this year
  • the adaptation of CanWarn and Beyond CanWarn training programs

Following the presentation there will be a Question and Answer session with the participants.

Date: Wednesday, June 28

Time: 7 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Cost: There is no fee for this event.

Please visit the CanWarn webpage to register now: https://www.rac.ca/canwarn/

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.

VA3DBJ.ca Weather Station Updated

Posted on by VA3DBJ

After 8 years of operation, the old Oregon Scientific weather station has finally been retired, as it was having issues staying all connected to the console.

So I have updated to the Ecowitt HP 3500B Weather Station.

It also has a lightning detector, that should monitor lightning strikes up to about 40 km.

Advanced notice to disconnect my radios. Lets see how that goes. 🙂

UPDATE: Well, the new system detected the lightning this morning and followed it out to the east towards Trenton.

2020 Spring Weather Forecast

Posted on by VA3DBJ

By Anthony Farnell

Winter’s bark was worse than its bite for most of the country, and now, with days getting longer and normal temperatures quickly rising, we can look ahead to all the joys that spring brings in Canada.

A battle will set up through April with leftover Arctic air making frequent appearances, especially in the Prairies. An active storm track from the Great Lakes to Atlantic Canada will keep it wet especially in April.

We have not seen the last of the snow just about everywhere east of Victoria and Vancouver but when it does fall, don’t expect it to stick around for long.

The leftover April chill will be replaced by a warmer-than-normal pattern for most of the country later in May and early June.

A cooler-than-normal April is expected across most of Ontario and Quebec, which is a big deviation from the past few months.

The chill won’t last with a return to above seasonal air in May. The turn to mild air will be enough to offset the cool start to spring, which is why above-normal temperatures are forecast for southern Ontario and Quebec.

Much like last spring, an active storm track will lead to above-normal rainfall in areas that really don’t need it.

The Great Lakes are already running near record-high water levels, and a wet spring would mean another round of serious flooding for lakeshore communities.

This could also impact cities further downstream like Montreal as all that excess water flows down the St. Lawrence River.

VA3DBJ Weather Station Back Online

Posted on by VA3DBJ

The VA3DBJ Weather station is now back online. The software has been updated to latest version of Cumulus. You can access directly by typing weather.va3dbj.ca in your browser.

This weather updates every 2 minutes but the gauges are updated every minute or two.  You can also receive hourly reports via Twitter at my VA3DBJWeather Twitter account.

Hurricane Watch Net on Alert

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Hurricane Watch Net on Alert for Developing Atlantic Basin Storms

Hurricane Watch New (HWN) Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, says the Atlantic Hurricane Basin seems to want people’s attention. Tropical Depression 3, off the southeastern coast of North Carolina could become a named storm, Chris. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has initiated advisories on TD 3. The system is expected to remain offshore. The HWN remains at alert level 2 — “monitoring mode.”

“A few computer models show this system growing and moving up along the US east coast into Nova Scotia, Canada,” Graves said today. “How strong it will be, if development occurs, is unknown.”

Meanwhile, Tropical Cyclone Beryl intensified overnight to become the first hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season, which began on June 1. A compact storm, Beryl is predicted to remain east of the Lesser Antilles through early Sunday. Satellite data indicate maximum sustained winds of around 80 MPH with higher gusts, and some strengthening is forecast.

While Beryl is forecast to quickly weaken or dissipate before reaching the Lesser Antilles, some rain and wind are expected to impact those islands early next week.

“Be advised, should the Hurricane Watch Net be called into action, 20-meter propagation has been very lousy of late and we may have to operate on both 20 and 40 meters (14.325 MHz and 7.268 MHz, respectively),” Graves said.

“Should either storm become a threat, the Hurricane Watch Net will be ready for action. The tropics are getting very interesting!”

CANWARN Spring 2018 Training

Posted on by VA3DBJ

[UPDATE] Folks, this spring’s training is now winding down. As a reminder, due to a staff crunch this summer, we won’t be travelling to the Northwest but plan on returning next year. For those of you who have recently attended a training session, please find attached the list of useful websites/books as well as the one-page reporting tip sheet that was discussed during the training.

Our last session will take place in Kingston on June 11th. Please note there has been a change in the venue. The session will no longer be held at the Calvin Park Library, it has been moved to the Sydenham St. United Church located at 82 Sydenham St. in Kingston. The start time is unchanged; the session will begin at 6:30 PM.

I would like to thank you all again for being a part of the CANWARN storm spotter program. Your timely and accurate reports of severe weather continue to play an important role in our severe weather Watch and Warning program.

June 11 – Kingston – 6:30 PM – Sydenham St. United Church, 82 Sydenham St. Kingston

Regards,
Geoff Coulson

Warning Preparedness Meteorologist, Meteorological Service of Canada
Environment and Climate Change Canada / Government of Canada
[email protected]/ Tel: 416 739-4466

 

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.”