REGINA, Aug. 28, 2019 /CNW/ - From coast to coast to coast, Canadians deal with every type of weather imaginable. Getting reliable and timely weather forecasts is part of our everyday lives. By modernizing our national weather-radar network, the Government of Canada is ensuring Canadians have access to more timely and reliable weather forecasts.
Today, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Ralph Goodale, on behalf of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, announced the installation of a new world-class weather radar in Bethune, Saskatchewan. This radar is expected to be fully operational by the end of September, following the successful completion of the testing period.
With new radars like this one, Canadians will benefit from receiving better and timelier severe-weather warnings. Communities and agricultural operations in and around Regina will have access to more reliable weather information to help them plan and adapt to a changing climate, during the next growing season.
Weather radars are the primary tools used by meteorologists to forecast short-term severe-weather events associated with thunderstorms, tornadoes, ice storms, and blizzards. Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and extended tornado-detection range, the new radars will provide more frequent updates and give Canadians greater lead time to take shelter.
Quotes
"Our government is committed to ensuring Canadians have a weather-forecasting system they can rely on. These new modern radars will play an essential role in ensuring public safety by providing emergency-management organizations with timely and accurate severe-weather information so they can make the appropriate decisions to protect the life of Canadians."
– Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Quick facts
- In February 2017, the Government announced an $83 million investment to buy twenty new radars with the most modern technology available.
- The Bethune radar is the sixth new weather radar in Canada as part of the Canadian Weather Radar Replacement Program, a seven-year infrastructure program to replace aging radars with modern systems.
- The first new radar was installed in Radisson, Saskatchewan, in the fall of 2017, with the rest being replaced sequentially over a seven-year period.
- The contract on the modernization of the weather radars also contains options to replace all remaining radars in the Canadian weather-radar network, by March 31, 2023. So far, six additional radars have been added by the Government, for a total of twenty-six new radars and an overall investment of $107 million.
Associated links
- The Government of Canada invests to modernize weather-forecasting infrastructure
- New weather-radar network for Canada
- Modernizing Canada's weather-radar network
- About radar
- Radar 101
Environment and Climate Change Canada's Twitter page
Environment and Climate Change Canada's Facebook page
SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada
Sabrina Kim, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-743-7138, [email protected]; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [email protected]
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