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CANWARN
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CANWARN

CANWARN is a volunteer organization of ham radio operators who report severe weather when they see it to Environment Canada. What they do is called ground-truthing. They confirm on the ground what satellites and radars see in the atmosphere. When Environment Canada's weather centres issue severe weather watches or warnings, they alert the CANWARN volunteers at the organization's regional stations in the affected areas. The volunteers contact other CANWARN members on the ham radio, tell them a watch or warning has been issued and ask them to report signs of approaching severe weather. These include lightning, hail, cumulonimbus clouds or as they are known in the trade CBs, and funnel clouds, which if they touch down are then called tornadoes.

CANWARN is organised in local networks. When CANWARN members spot severe weather, they send their reports to the CANWARN network controller who forwards them to Environment Canada's severe weather office in Toronto using either a special telephone line or the CANWARN web page. At the weather office, the severe weather meteorologist combines the data from the satellites and radar with the information from the ground to refine the forecast or prepare a severe weather watch or warning. In Ontario, CANWARN stations are equipped with computers, printers, and ham radio equipment, and are located in community centres such as airports, police stations and senior citizens complexes.

Expanding their community service

Ham or amateur radio operators have long played important roles in their communities, particularly during emergencies. These men and women run very high frequency, VHF, or ultra high frequency, UHF, radios from their homes, offices, cars or trucks and so are in a good position to help when normal lines of communication have been knocked out by a tornado, fire or explosion. Tornado

Their roles expanded after the Edmonton tornado on July 31, 1987. The tornado which had winds of more than 400 kilometres an hour ploughed through the Alberta city in the mid afternoon killing 27 people, injuring 253 others and causing more than $250 million in damage. The report on the Edmonton tornado and the weather warning system, known informally as the Hage report, said Environment Canada should solicit the help of amateur radio operators in the severe weather watch and warning program.

Within a week of the report's publication, Environment Canada had trained more than 120 ham radio operators in the Windsor area to detect severe weather. At first CANWARN operated primarily in southwestern Ontario. Today, there are CANWARN stations in towns and cities from Windsor through to eastern Ontario and Parry Sound on Georgian Bay. There are also CANWARN stations in Northwestern Ontario, including places like Thunder Bay, Fort Frances, Dryden, and Kenora. CANWARN volunteers cover most of the areas of Ontario that are likely to have severe weather. CANWARN is active (to varying degrees) in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Environment Canada trains ham radio operators to spot and report severe weather. They learn about the structure of storms, the types of clouds to watch for and what the department's severe weather watches and warnings mean. All CANWARN volunteers are encouraged to sign up for the refresher courses which the department offers each year. Any licenced ham radio operator may become a CANWARN volunteer. Men and women who are studying for their licences or are listeners of short wave radios may join CANWARN as associate volunteers.

For information about CANWARN  please send an email to: Canwarn.OntarioRegion@ec.gc.ca

Note: In an effort to update the list of Canwarn operational frequencies all members are asked to review the list posted below and report any errors or omissions.
Canwarn Ontario Frequencies
updated Jan. 03 2010
Central Ontario
 
VE3ULR 442.025 Aurora (Hub)
VE3ULR 145.470 Aurora
VE3PRC 146.880 (NT)
443.550 (NT)
Brampton
VE3RPL 145.490 (118.8)
IRLP 2480
Parry Sound
VA3ROG 145.370 Collingwood
VE3LSR* 146.850 (156.7) Barrie
VE3MUS 146.775 (156.7)
IRLP 2460
Echo 150444
145.270 (156.7)
IRLP 2203
Muskoka
VE3UGB 146.910 Midland
VE3ZAP 146.685 (88.5)
443.875 (88.5)
Shelburne
Orangeville
VE3LNZ 146.195 Lindsay
VE3MIN 145.210 Minden
VE3CTV 145.370  Toronto

Manitoulin Island
 
VE3RMI 147.270 Little Current
VE3RQQ 444.300
IRLP 2860
Little Current
VE3RXR* 145.310
Linked to ERA
Little Current
VE3LTR* 146.670 Kagawong

Kincardine
 
VE3TIV 146.610
IRLP 2710
Kincardine
VE3PER 146.820
IRLP 2310
Port Elgin
VE3CRV 146.156 Palsley
VE3XTX 146.730
IRLP 2140
Owen Sound

Weather Radio
 
162.400 162.475 162.550

South Western Ontario
 
VE3SAR 145.370 (123.0) Sarnia
VE3KCR 147.120 (100.0) Chatham/Kent
VE3III
VE3WIN
147.060 (118.8)
IRLP 2202
147.000
Windsor/Essex
VE3OME 145.450 (114.8) London
VE3KSR 146.970 (131.8) Kitchener
VE3TCR 147.150 Brantford
VE3RFI* 443.250 (151.4)
EchoLink 327534
Hamilton (city)
VE3TVI* 146.805 (151.4)
IRLP 327534
Hamilton (south)
Note: VE3RFI & VE3TVI linked during activation
Niagara Region
 
VE3RAF 145.190 (107.2) Thorold
VE3PLF 444.725 (107.2)
IRLP 2620
Thorold
VE3WCR 147.300 (107.2) Fonthill

Eastern Ontario
 
VE3RTR 145.150 (186.2) Coburg
VE3KFR 145.390 Campbellford
VE3TJU* 146.730 (corrected) Picton

Dufferin County
 
VE3ZAP 443.875+ (88.5)
linked to 146.685
Shelburne
VE3DRC 444.625+ (88.5) Mulmur Twp
VE3ORX 444.025 (103.5)
IRLP 2700
Orangeville
VE3MAP 444.500
currently offline
Caledon

Northern Ontario
 
VE3YQT* 147.060 (-offset) Thunder Bay

Marine
 
161.650 161.775

Note: IRLP nodes are  not  normally used for CANWARN Nets and are published here for Provincial level emergency situation reports only.

Please send corrections to jim.taylor@emoares.org
* indicates new or updated listing

ESTIMATING DAMAGING WINDS
Fujita Scale Rating, Speed (km/h) and Damage Desription

F0
F1
F2
Damage Indicator
60-110 km/h
120-170 km/h
180-240 km/h
Notes
House Some roofing/siding materials removed, awnings damaged, antennae bent Large areas of roofing/siding material, partial structural failure of roof Well-attached roof removed, a frame house may have other structural damage Frame houses includes those with brick veneer
Steel re-inforced
Industrial Building
Some roofing/siding materials removed, awnings damaged, antennae bent Large areas of roofing material stripped away, partial structural failure of roof Roof removed, partial structural failure of walls
Mobile Home Some roofing/siding materials removed, awnings damaged, antennae bent Partial structural failure Obliterated, renderd unrecognizable Damage worse if mobile home not anchored
Barn or large shed Partial removal of roof Roof completely removed Destroyed to foundation F1 maximum if in poor condition or if cleanly lifted off foundation
Deep-rooted trees Long branches down Intermitted trees uprooted and snapped at trunk Large areas of trees uprooted and snapped at trunk Damage worse if shallow rooted
Vehicle or farm equipment Vehicle not moved or tipped but a moving vehicle may be forced into another lane High-profiles vehicle may be moved or tipped over, moving low-profile vehicles may be forced off the road, farm wagons or equipment may be carried short distances  Low-profile vehicles may be dragged or carried a short distance but fewer than 10% are tipped over Low profile: cars, vans, pick-ups, farm tractors, etc. 
High profile: semi trucks, motor homes, buses, combines, etc.
Missiles A few light object missiles generated-e.g.  cans , garbage can lids, lawn chairs Some impact damge from light object missiles e.g. stones, branches, canoes, etc. Heavy objects such as vehicles and machinery may be dragged or carried short distances