Weather Watcher Program
Weather watchers are volunteers recruited from the ranks of weather enthusiasts, who provide Environment Canada’s forecasters with up-to-the-minute information on severe weather events. Since the beginning of the Weather Watcher Program in 1978, thousands of individuals from all walks of life have been a part of this vast and valuable network of observers.
Weather watchers provide an invaluable service not only to meteorologists, but also to their communities and the general public. Their keen eyes and enthusiasm enable the weather office to more accurately detect and evaluate local severe weather events, and issue weather watches and warnings that can help people protect their lives and property.
Volunteer observers contribute a large portion of the severe weather reports received by Environment Canada. Meteorologists also contact volunteers to confirm storms that forecasters have detected using radar and other special equipment.