[et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” background_image=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/stormheader1.jpg” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” custom_css_main_element=”height: 100vh;”][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label=”Fullwidth Header” title=”Radar love : Canada’s weather forecasting technology is about to get a boost” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” header_fullscreen=”off” header_scroll_down=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” content_orientation=”center” image_orientation=”center” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_letter_spacing=”0″ button_one_use_icon=”default” button_one_icon_placement=”right” button_one_on_hover=”on” button_one_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ custom_button_two=”off” button_two_letter_spacing=”0″ button_two_use_icon=”default” button_two_icon_placement=”right” button_two_on_hover=”on” button_two_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ title_font_color=”#ffca0c” title_font_size=”72px” content_font_color=”#ffffff” content_font_size=”18px” title_font=”|on|||”]<\/p>\n
By Lindsay Campbell and Bianca Chan<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 1 ” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n On August 21, 2011, residents of Goderich, Ont., were left with little time to know that their town would be left in pieces. What was initially issued as a risk for a non-severe thunderstorm, quickly became hail, heavy rain and gusts of wind ranging from 250-320km\/h. It wasn\u2019t until 10 minutes before the severe outbreak that meteorologists informed locals of what was to come.<\/p>\n A super cell tornado ripped through the centre square, damaging years of town history and homes in the surrounding area. A super cell tornado is a thunderstorm with a deep rotating updraft. The one that hit Goderich proved to be the strongest tornado to hit Ontario in over 15 years.\u00a0It left one person dead\u00a0and 37 injured, along with\u00a0$130 million in damages to the town.<\/p>\n Despite the storm’s potential ferocity, meteorologists\u00a0lacked the data to\u00a0see what was coming and inform residents until ten minutes before disaster stuck.\u00a0Six year later, a new era in Canadian weather forecasting is set to turn the tables on extreme weather.<\/p>\n Last \u00a0February,<\/strong> Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change announced the government would be improving weather radar technology in Canada. Twenty \u201cstate-of-the-art\u201d radars will be supplied and installed by a German information technology firm, Selex ES.<\/p>\n One impact of the new installations will be more advanced and more location-specific warnings for extreme events. The technology will allow for distant coverage and close storm tracking. The information will be available so that anyone in a storm’s path\u00a0can potentially view the approaching\u00a0outbreak\u00a0at the scale of their own neighbourhood.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”%22WHY NOW%22- Text 2 ” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s current network consists of Doppler radar that provides coverage up to 120km past its situated location. While the use of radar for weather prediction dates back to the Second World War, it wasn\u2019t until the 1980s that Doppler radars became standard for North American systems.<\/p>\n The $83 million contract will address the problem\u00a0with the\u00a0existing radar network, which is ageing and\u00a0has experienced outages. Nineteen out of the 31 existing radars throughout Canada will be swapped for advanced technology and although the new radars have more reach and therefore provide double the coverage, there is the option to implement 13 more.<\/p>\n The change may be coming just in time. Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson, says severe weather events\u00a0are likely to become more frequent\u00a0in\u00a0the future. \u201cIt\u2019s certainly one of the concerns that climatologists have\u2026 It has been said that generally there\u2019s going to be more outbreaks,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image 3 – CURRENT RADAR SITE ” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”left” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/RADAR2.jpg”] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”cutline text image 3″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”WEATHER PREDICTABILITY ” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Radar\u00a0installations in the current network operate by sending\u00a0horizontal<\/strong> pulses of radio energy out into the atmosphere.\u00a0Once the wave hits a target such as precipitation particles,\u00a0it returns back to the radar antenna. Using the data collected from the energy upon returning to the radar, forecasters are able to know the target\u2019s size and intensity.With the Doppler effect, the radars provide information on the movement and positions of the target. After the radar releases a pulse, it tracks the change in the wave between the transmitted wave and the echo that is sent back. By tracking this change, meteorologists can tell what direction the target is moving. They can also detect rotation in the atmosphere, possibly identifying the formation of a tornado.<\/p>\n For new Selex ES radars, the detection capacity will reach up to 240km. Coverage that is double the amount of current radar will aid in monitoring areas of neighbouring stations in the case of an outage and better track incoming extreme weather in advance. A modern technology called dual polarization will also be incorporated.A dual polarization upgrade means the radar will send and receive horizontal<\/strong> and vertical<\/strong> pulses of energy. Because the radars are scanning in multiple directions, they can provide a more complete picture of the atmosphere.<\/p>\n Unlike current technology, Coulson says the images translated from the radar scans will be able to find more specific details, including the ability to characterize the kind of precipitation.\u201cIt will give the forecasters a better ability to find out how much rain is in a given rain cloud that\u2019s approaching,\u201d he adds.\u201cIn the winter months it can also help us with hail or snow or to determine if there\u2019s an area of freezing rain for a given area.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video admin_label=”ANIMATION- HOW IT WORKS ” src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/KwZIeI8dUnU”] [\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image admin_label=”Image” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/selexes.jpg” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”left” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text 6 -2ND HALF OF WEATHER PREDICTIBILITY ” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Dr. Luke Copland, professor at the University of Ottawa specializes in Geographic Information Systems and Climate Change. Copland says he\u2019s seen monitoring networks around the world and it\u2019s about time Canada updates its weather prediction technology.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of being generically told \u2018today is a day that has the potential for severe weather,\u2019 you will be able to see severe weather coming through individual neighbourhoods and streets. People will be much more aware and much better prepared for it coming. So this is definitely heading in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n With two dimensional image projection, meteorologists will also be able to accurately detect of airborne tornado debris, meaning that it can be confirmed when tornados are on the ground and causing damage. Other notable outcomes of the upgrade include the ability to tell the difference between the types of precipitation in the air. While the additional technology will contribute considerably to the meteorological front, Copeland adds the government\u2019s investment will only guarantee short-term information.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t tell us if five years, 10 years into the future if there will be more long-term effects. When we see a big thunder storm coming through, these radar systems can tell us what will the impacts be locally from those storms,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut, there\u2019s definitely a need for these radar systems\u2026 It\u2019s a well proven-technology in the U.S., and it\u2019s been working very well in many other places.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image admin_label=”COMPARISON CHART- 7 ” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” animation=”left” sticky=”off” align=”left” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” src=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/radarinfograph.jpg”] [\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label=”TEXT – LOCATION 1″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n With Canada\u2019s current 31 radar sites, Marie-Elaine Boivin, radar replacement director at Environment Canada and Climate Change says ECCC is in the process of reviewing each location to determine which radars will be replaced. Factors being considered right now are the operation ability of current systems, the frequency at which severe weather can be seen and the accessibility to each site. A site operated and owned by McGill University will not undergo a renovation. However, Boivin indicated that there are plans to install new radar in the Greater Montreal Area to ensure there is appropriate coverage. Added site locations announced by the government include Fort McMurray, Alta and an unconfirmed location in lower Quebec. There are currently no sites in Northern Canada due to the sparse population.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=”MAP 8 “]<iframe src=”https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/embed?mid=1bS3WtKdbuBgo5Cnwm84ODyjeU_E” width=”640″ height=”480″><\/iframe>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text – FUTURE 1″ background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Dr. Madhav Khandekar is a retired Environment Canada meteorologist\u00a0who still works\u00a0as a consultant on extreme weather events. \u00a0Khandekar says he\u2019s confident in the new system\u2019s ability, but\u00a0he\u00a0cautions people not to expect too much.<\/p>\n \u201cThe radars will help us improve prediction and issue operationally useful warnings ahead of time, particularly 12 to 24 hours ahead of time, \u201c he explains. Khandekar adds that beyond a 24 hour warning, accurate predictions for extreme weather becomes difficult.<\/p>\n Like Copland, Khandekar points out the system won\u2019t be able to address questions relating to the bigger picture of severe weather. He says scientists should be looking at climate around the world to understand the bigger picture of metrological patterns and find lasting solutions.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to improve our database and our technology, but we have to look at this knowledge we\u2019ve been able to collect for the past 100 years as well as weather around the world,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cWe need to analyse all these things and we must understand how the mechanics of weather work. Maybe then we can fully understand extreme weather and how climate is changing.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Sidebar 1 -FACT ABOUT U.S. IMPLEMENTATION ” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” background_color=”#757575″ custom_padding=”10px|10px|10px|10px” saved_tabs=”all”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section admin_label=”Section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” background_image=”http:\/\/cusjc.ca\/catalyst\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/stormheader1.jpg” transparent_background=”off” allow_player_pause=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” make_equal=”off” use_custom_gutter=”off” custom_css_main_element=”height: 100vh;”][et_pb_fullwidth_header admin_label=”Fullwidth Header” title=”Radar love : Canada’s weather forecasting technology is about to get a boost” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” header_fullscreen=”off” header_scroll_down=”off” parallax=”off” parallax_method=”off” content_orientation=”center” image_orientation=”center” custom_button_one=”off” button_one_letter_spacing=”0″ button_one_use_icon=”default” button_one_icon_placement=”right” button_one_on_hover=”on” button_one_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ custom_button_two=”off” button_two_letter_spacing=”0″ button_two_use_icon=”default” button_two_icon_placement=”right” button_two_on_hover=”on” button_two_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ title_font_color=”#ffca0c” title_font_size=”72px” content_font_color=”#ffffff” […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":745,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"project_category":[135],"project_tag":[],"class_list":["post-584","project","type-project","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","project_category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy now?<\/h3>\n
One current Doppler radar pictured above at a site in Alberta. This site as well as the 29 others across the country are being considered for replacement. [Photo courtesy of Environment and Climate Change Canada]<\/h5>\n
Weather Predictability: What\u2019s now and next<\/h3>\n
An example of “state-of-the-art” weather radars supplied by information technology firm, Selex ES. [Photo courtesy of Leonardo S.p.A]<\/h5>\n
Improved technology on expert’s radar<\/h3>\n
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\u201cIn terms of emergency preparedness, this is something that Canada has really been lacking in.\u201d <\/strong>\u2013 Dr. Luke Copland, GIS and Climate Change specialist<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Location, location, location<\/h3>\n
A forecast for the future<\/h3>\n
FUN FACT:<\/strong> The\u00a0United States began updating its Doppler Radars with dual polarization\u00a0technology in 2011 and by April 2013 all sites were equipped with the technology.<\/h3>\n