Topic: CANWARN

[PaulMy]

I recently attended my first CanWarn training session (similar to the USA SkyWarn) so now can add their logo on my Logos list.  Very informative and well done by EC Meteorologist Geoff Coulson.
 
In a follow up 2-page spread in the local daily it indicates that over 150 attended this regional session and now over 5,000 volunteers in the Province of Ontario, and that it has grown from mainly ham radio operators to citizens from all walks of life.  An interesting tidbit in the newspaper article:
Lightning kills about 10 Canadians and injures more than 100 each year.
With the most frequent lightning strikes in the country, Southwestern Ontario is the thunderstorm capital of Canada.
This can be attributed to the humid climate.
Most of these storms occur in the area encompassed by Windsor, Sarnia and London.
London gets 3.47 lightning-to-ground flashes per square kilometre, second in the country only to Windsor, which gets 3.6
An average of 13 tornadoes touch down in the region each year - most very low scale - but last year 23 were reported to the agency.
 
Note that Windsor is just south across the river of Detroit, MI.  London (Komoka) is about 180 km east of Windsor/Detroit.
 
Paul

[weathergirl]

Thanks for the info, Paul.  I attended the CANWARN session in Hamilton last weekend, it was awesome

[PaulMy]

To Canada, Ontario members, in case you haven't seen this notice from Geoff Coulson from Environment Canada.

Folks, my apologies for releasing the CANWARN training schedule a little later this year and to those that may get this notification twice due to some finger trouble on my part. I needed to finalize the dates/locations of some of the training venues and some of that work still remains to be done. The past few weeks have certainly provided CANWARN spotters with lots of weather to report. We’ve had some significant snowfalls, a notable ice storm, lots of rain and our first tornado of the year. On March 16, an Enhanced Fujita Scale One (EF1) tornado occurred near the community of Clifford to the west of Mount Forest with peak winds estimated between 155 and 175 km/h. A few grain bins and some other farm building damage was noted by an Environment Canada damage survey team. This tornado set a new record for the earliest tornado in Ontario beating the previous record of a tornado that occurred in Windsor on March 19, 1948.


Each spring, I reiterate the importance of the role that CANWARN spotters play in Environment and Climate Change Canada’s severe weather watch and warning program. During the training, we have also made mention of the importance of getting reports for winter-time severe weather. I am happy to say, after reviewing CANWARN reports over the last few months, that the Weather Centre received a number of timely and useful winter reports from CANWARN members. These reports included ones about dense fog, the occurrence of freezing rain and the provision of snowfall accumulations.


Please find following the spring training schedule as it stands now. Additional venues may be added in central and eastern Ontario. I am still in the process of organizing the dates for northwestern Ontario but I have pencilled the week of June 13th for this training. Once again, thanks to all of you for your participation in this very worthwhile program. We have recently changed our email addresses and the old CANWARN email address has become somewhat longer, my apologies. For those interested in attending one of the following sessions, please RSVP to ec.canalerteontario-canwarnontario.ec@canada.ca with the session to intend to take.


April 20 – Central Huron/Blyth – Emergency Services Training Centre – 40193 Blyth Road, Central Huron/Blyth
April 23 – Hamilton – 9 AM – Stoney Creek City Hall – 777 Highway 8, Stoney Creek
April 25 – Leamington – 7 PM - Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex – 249 Sherk St, Leamington
April 27 – Sarnia – 7 PM – Sarnia Yacht Club – 1120 Fort St, Sarnia
April 28 – London – 7 PM – Fanshawe College, 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd, Building T, Room T1003
May 3 – Dufferin County – 7 PM – Dufferin County Courthouse, 55 Zina Street, Orangeville
May 3 – Kingston – Artillery Park Aquatic Centre, Multi-purpose room, 382 Bagot St
May 4 – Waterloo – 7 PM – Venue to be determined
May 7 – Toronto – 9 AM – Environment and Climate Change Canada Headquarters, 4905 Dufferin St., Toronto
May 10 – Toronto – 7 PM – Environment and Climate Change Canada Headquarters, 4905 Dufferin St., Toronto
May 10 – Ottawa – venue to be determined
May 14 – Rama/Orillia – 9 AM – Rama Fire Hall, 7454 Williams Road, Rama

May 18 – Niagara Region – 7 PM – Niagara Region Headquarters, Campbell East Room 102, 1815 Sir Isaac Brock Way (Formerly 2201 St. David’s Rd), Thorold
May 19 – Peterborough – 7 PM – Peterborough Lawn Bowling Club, 577 McDonnel St., Peterborough
May 25 – Markham – 7 PM – venue to be confirmed
May 28 – Belleville – 9:30 AM – Belleville Public Library, 254 Pinnacle St., Belleville
May 30 – Sudbury/Azilda – 6:30 PM – Lionel E. Lalonde Centre, 239 Montee Principale, Azilda
May 31 – Sault Ste Marie – 6:30 PM - 99 Foster Drive, Russ Ramsay Room
June 1 – Manitouwadge – 6:30 PM – venue to be determined

Regards,

Geoff Coulson
Warning Preparedness Meteorologist |
M้t้orologue de sensibilisation aux alertes
Ontario Region Client Services |
Service เ la client่le, R้gion de l'Ontario
Environment Canada | Environnement Canada
Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada
4905 Dufferin St | 4905 rue Dufferin
Toronto, ON M3H 5T4
Geoff.Coulson@ec.gc.ca
Telephone | T้l้phone 416-739-4466
Facsimile | T้l้copieur 416-739-4603
Website | Site Web www.weather.gc.ca[size=0pt][/size]

Paul