Manitobans weathering the storms

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This article was published 28/07/2010 (5779 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitobans caught by Monday night’s vicious storms and tornado want quicker warnings from Environment Canada.

The union representing Environment Canada meteorologists says the Winnipeg forecast centre needs more staff, but Environment Canada and a retired meteorologist say severe weather warnings did go out in plenty of time to warn people.

A tornado touched down north of Oakbank on Monday night, while golf-ball-sized hail hit Garson, Starbuck and La Salle.

Storm victims sent in comments to the Free Press website, chiding Environment Canada for not sending out the tornado warning sooner or having a better method of getting the word out.

"Our power was out for five hours, just went back on at just after 1 a.m. We had no way to know that there even was a tornado watch," one person said.

Another said "I think Environment Canada needs a better system.

"It seems once a tornado is spotted, they issue a tornado warning for that particular area, and a tornado watch for surrounding areas. Though they do usually add a disclaimer ‘remember, some severe thunderstorms are capable of producing tornados,’ to thunderstorm warnings."

Gary Corbett, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, which represents meteorologists, said it doesn’t help that there are only three meteorologists working during the day in Winnipeg and two overnight, following cuts in recent years.

"The area they cover is huge — from Saskatchewan to Baffin Island," Corbett said.

"Could you get better forecasting with more oversight? I say yes.

"The government has cut to the bone the public service… Our members are concerned. They want to do proper forecasts and they want more people to do it."

But Corbett admitted tornadoes are unpredictable and hard to forecast.

Christine Best, Environment Canada’s director for the Prairie and Northern region, said super computers are being used more in place of people.

"We’re really in a change between the old way and new way of forecasting," Best said. "There’s no concern at the forecast level of short staff."

Best said if people want to get weather warnings as quickly as possible, they can either purchase a weather radio — which turns itself on whenever a warning is issued — go to the Environment Canada website, or sign up for an email alert.

Jay Anderson, the former voice of Winnipeg’s weather office before retiring a few years ago, said he was one of several people out chasing the storm on Monday night and keeping Environment Canada’s Winnipeg office up to date on what was happening.

Anderson, who has criticized the Winnipeg weather office’s staff cuts in the past, said he doesn’t believe they affected the weather alerts Monday.

"The computer models were very good on this weather system and, from a chaser’s point of view, almost a certainty," he said.

Anderson said a severe weather system that struck Whiteshell Provincial Park, leaving power outages and downed trees in its wake, was probably a different system than the one that brought a tornado to Oakbank and hail to some communities near Winnipeg.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca