TO THE WEATHER WATCHER

To all new weather watchers- whether you are involved with CANWARN, ALTAWATCH, or the Severe Weather Watcher Program - welcome to the program and to those who are experienced, thank you for the invaluable service you have been performing for the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) and your communities. As a weather watcher you are serving a vital role, not only for meteorologists, but for the public and your neighbours. The weather office needs your eyes and your enthusiastic involvement to help it detect and evaluate local severe weather events and issue the weather watches and warnings that can save lives and help people guard against property damage.

Weather watchers' reports are sometimes the only information available concerning local severe weather events such as tornadoes or funnel clouds, large hail, flooding, heavy rain or heavy snowfalls, freezing rain or damaging winds. Our radar network cannot detect the fine detail and localized events your eyes can see.

The volunteer service you provide accounts for a large proportion of severe weather reports received by MSC. Since the weather watch program started in 1978, thousands of volunteers have become involved, and as a result of their timely information many warnings were issued which might not have been otherwise.

Watching the weather is a year-round job. Not only do we all need to be alert to risks from both winter and summer storms, you need to keep your senses honed to become and remain "weather wise".

What do we expect of you as a weather watcher?

It is very important that you know what to look for, when to start watching for it, and how to make a clear, precise report to the weather office. This book will give you the tools you need to do your job well and participate in the drama of weather as it unfolds. Read it thoroughly and use the quick reference on what and how to report (outside back cover)when you call in your sighting. The book will help you determine how significant what you see might be. Never hesitate to report something suspicious. It may be the last piece of evidence meteorologists need to issue a warning.

Who are the weather watchers?

Weather watchers are volunteers recruited from the ranks of weather enthusiasts and public-minded people across Canada. People from all walks of life participate, forming a far-flung network of severe weather observers. In some areas of the country the provincial police and RCMP participate in the program, as do several telephone systems, climate observers and many short-wave radio operators.

CANWARN

There are very active amateur radio operators engaged in weather watching in parts of Canada. In central Alberta, ALTAWATCH has been active for many years, and the CANWARN program, which started in Ontario, has now spread to include Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick. There is also a network of amateur radio operators in Quebec, RAQI (Radio Amateur du Québec Inc.) which will start in summer 2000, and eventually become part of CANWARN.

CANWARN offers a very active program for its spotters, and augments its effectiveness and level of participation by providing opportunities for its members to meet occasionally to exchange slides and share stories and training tips. The CANWARN action checklist (see box) gives a taste of what it is like to be involved as a CANWARN spotter.

We hope that you, too, will enjoy sharing your knowledge and experiences with friends and fellow weather enthusiasts, whether through CANWARN, ALTAWATCH, RAQI, or the Severe Weather Watcher Program.

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Meteorological Service of Canada - Environment Canada - Government of Canada

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