Canadian weather radar network
Encyclopedia
The Canadian weather radar network consists of 31 weather radar
s spanning Canada's most populated regions. Their primary purpose is the early detection of precipitation
, its motion and the threat it poses to life and property. Each has a range of 256 km in radius around the site to detect reflectivity
, and a range of 128 km for detecting velocity patterns (Doppler effect
).
began at the end of the Second World War with "Project Stormy Weather". After the war, J.S. Marshall continued at McGill University the work with the "Stormy Weather Group". The Canadian network was thus gradually formed and by 1997, there were 19 weather radars of two kinds across the country: 18 five centimeter wavelength (C-Band) radars and 1 ten centimeter wavelength (S-Band) at McGill, all of the radars detected reflectivity with 3 sites equipped with Doppler capabilities (Carvel, King City and McGill).
Environment Canada
received approval in 1998 to upgrade the network to Doppler standard and to add 12 more radars with the operational characteristics coming from King City Radar (CWKR
), the research radar of EC. However, McGill radar (at the J. S. Marshall Radar Observatory), while being part of the network, is owned by McGill University
. It is a research as well as an operational radar and is modified independently.
radars, compromises had to be used (see Doppler dilemma) between maximum reflectivity range and maximum non ambiguous velocities. The actual scanning strategy (2006) is divided in two separate scans over 10 minutes :
Only the McGill radar (J. S. Marshall Radar Observatory) using its coherent S-band transmitter acquires reflectivities and velocities during each of its 24 elevation angles: 5 minute cycle time.
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
s spanning Canada's most populated regions. Their primary purpose is the early detection of precipitation
Precipitation (meteorology)
In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation In meteorology, precipitation (also known as one of the classes of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity. The main forms of precipitation...
, its motion and the threat it poses to life and property. Each has a range of 256 km in radius around the site to detect reflectivity
Reflectivity
In optics and photometry, reflectivity is the fraction of incident radiation reflected by a surface. In general it must be treated as a directional property that is a function of the reflected direction, the incident direction, and the incident wavelength...
, and a range of 128 km for detecting velocity patterns (Doppler effect
Doppler effect
The Doppler effect , named after Austrian physicist Christian Doppler who proposed it in 1842 in Prague, is the change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to the source of the wave. It is commonly heard when a vehicle sounding a siren or horn approaches, passes, and recedes from...
).
History
Research in weather radars in CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
began at the end of the Second World War with "Project Stormy Weather". After the war, J.S. Marshall continued at McGill University the work with the "Stormy Weather Group". The Canadian network was thus gradually formed and by 1997, there were 19 weather radars of two kinds across the country: 18 five centimeter wavelength (C-Band) radars and 1 ten centimeter wavelength (S-Band) at McGill, all of the radars detected reflectivity with 3 sites equipped with Doppler capabilities (Carvel, King City and McGill).
Environment Canada
Environment Canada
Environment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
received approval in 1998 to upgrade the network to Doppler standard and to add 12 more radars with the operational characteristics coming from King City Radar (CWKR
CWKR
The King City weather radar station is a weather radar located in King City, Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Environment Canada and is part of the Canadian weather radar network....
), the research radar of EC. However, McGill radar (at the J. S. Marshall Radar Observatory), while being part of the network, is owned by McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. It is a research as well as an operational radar and is modified independently.
Characteristics
- McGill radar (at the J. S. Marshall Radar Observatory):
- 9 metre (30 feet) diameter antenna.
- Using a klystronKlystronA klystron is a specialized linear-beam vacuum tube . Klystrons are used as amplifiers at microwave and radio frequencies to produce both low-power reference signals for superheterodyne radar receivers and to produce high-power carrier waves for communications and the driving force for modern...
to produce a wavelength signal of 10 cm. - Doppler since 1993 and dual polarization was added in 1999.
- The rest of the network :
- The upgraded radar have antennas from two manufacturers: Enterprise Electronics Corporation (EEC) and RaytheonRaytheonRaytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...
. - The new radar have antennas produced by Andrew Canada. With a diameter almost double the old ones; resolutions improved by the same amount.
- Use 5.6 cm wavelength emitting magnetrons.
- Process received reflectivity and Doppler data with Sigmet Radar Data Systems.
- Each radar in the network will thus be called a WSR-98E, WSR-98R or WSR-98A for Weather Surveillance Radar - 1998 (for the year of the start of the program) and the first letter of the manufacturer (Enterprise, Raytheon or Andrew).
- Antennas of 3.6 meters in diameters for the ungraded radars and 6.1 m for the new ones.
- Pulse length and pulse repetition frequencyPulse repetition frequencyPulse repetition frequency or Pulse repetition rate is the number of pulses per time unit . It is a measure or specification mostly used within various technical disciplines Pulse repetition frequency (PRF) or Pulse repetition rate (PRR) is the number of pulses per time unit (e.g. Seconds). It...
adjustable.
- The upgraded radar have antennas from two manufacturers: Enterprise Electronics Corporation (EEC) and Raytheon
Scanning Strategy
Because the network is using C bandC band
The C band is a name given to certain portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, including wavelengths of microwaves that are used for long-distance radio telecommunications. The IEEE C-band - and its slight variations - contains frequency ranges that are used for many satellite communications...
radars, compromises had to be used (see Doppler dilemma) between maximum reflectivity range and maximum non ambiguous velocities. The actual scanning strategy (2006) is divided in two separate scans over 10 minutes :
- Conventional cycle: 24 elevation angles scanned in 5 minutes to obtain a tri-dimensional view of the atmosphere within 256 km of the radar in reflectivities.
- Doppler cycle: 4 angles scanned in reflectivity and velocities, the first three in a range of 128 km and the last within 256 km. This cycle is used to locate possible small scale rotationRotationA rotation is a circular movement of an object around a center of rotation. A three-dimensional object rotates always around an imaginary line called a rotation axis. If the axis is within the body, and passes through its center of mass the body is said to rotate upon itself, or spin. A rotation...
and shearWind shearWind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...
in the windWindWind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
pattern as well as the large scale circulation. The velocity data also help to filter artifacts in the reflectivity such as ground echos.
Only the McGill radar (J. S. Marshall Radar Observatory) using its coherent S-band transmitter acquires reflectivities and velocities during each of its 24 elevation angles: 5 minute cycle time.
List of radars
The modernization process began in the fall of 1998 with the opening of Bethune radar and ended in 2004 with the one in Timmins .| Site | Location | Province | Coordinates | ID/call sign Call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations... |
Band | Type | Callsign meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldergrove | Vancouver Vancouver Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,... |
British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858... |
49.01662°N 122.48698°W | CWUJ | C | 98E | ||
| Bethune | Regina Regina, Saskatchewan Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox... |
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota.... |
50.57108°N 105.18268°W | CXBE | C | 98A | Bethune | |
| Britt | Georgian Bay Georgian Bay Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada... |
Ontario Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.... |
45.79317°N 80.53385°W | CWBI | C | 98A | Britt | |
| Carvel Carvel, Alberta Carvel is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within Parkland County. It is located on Highway 770, approximately west of Edmonton.Carvel's largest building is the St... |
Edmonton Edmonton Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census... |
Alberta Alberta Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces... |
53.56056°N 114.14495°W | CWHK | C | 98E | ||
| Chipman Chipman, New Brunswick Chipman is a Canadian village in Queens County, New Brunswick.The village of Chipman is located on the banks of the Salmon River at the head of the Grand Lake, the largest freshwater lake in the Maritime provinces... |
Central New Brunswick | New Brunswick New Brunswick New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area... |
46.22222°N 65.69861°W | CXNC | C | 98E | New Brunswick Chipman | |
| Dryden Dryden -People:* Dave Dryden, retired Canadian ice hockey goaltender* David Owen Dryden, renowned San Diego builder-architect*Erasmus Dryden * Helen Dryden, American artist and designer* Hugh L. Dryden, NASA Deputy Director... |
Western Ontario | Ontario | 49.85823°N 92.79698°W | CXDR | C | 98E | Dryden | |
| Exeter Exeter, Ontario Exeter is a Canadian community in the municipality of South Huron, in the southern portion of Huron County, Ontario, located approximately 50 kilometres north of London. The community proclaims itself the "Home of the White Squirrel", owing to the presence of the unusually-coloured mammals... |
Southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population... |
Ontario | 43.37028°N 81.38417°W | CWSO | C | 98A | Southern Ontario | |
| Foxwarren Foxwarren, Manitoba Foxwarren is a community in the Rural Municipality of Birtle in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is located on Highway 16.-Famous Residents of Foxwarren:The coummunity of Foxwarren has contributed a few players to the NHL over the years.* Ron Low... |
Eastern Saskatchewan/Western Manitoba | Manitoba Manitoba Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other... |
50.54887°N 101.08570°W | CXFW | C | 98E | Foxwarren | |
| Franktown | Eastern Ontario | Ontario | 45.04101°N 76.11617°W | CXFT | C | 98A | Franktown | |
| Gore Gore, Nova Scotia Gore is a Canadian rural community in central Hants County, Nova Scotia. It is named after Sir Charles Stephen Gore. The village was settled primarily by the 84th Regiment of Foot .... |
Central Hants County | Nova Scotia Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the... |
45.09850°N 63.70433°W | CXGO | C | 98A | Gore | |
| Holyrood Holyrood, Newfoundland and Labrador Holyrood is a town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is in Division No. 1, on Conception Bay. During King William's War, the village was destroyed in the Avalon Peninsula Campaign.... |
Eastern Newfoundland | Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400... |
47.32556°N 53.17861°W | CWTP | C | 98R | ||
| Jimmy Lake | NW Saskatchewan/NE Alberta | Saskatchewan | 54.91333°N 109.95528°W | CWHN | C | 98E | ||
| King City | Southern Ontario | Ontario | 43.96393°N 79.57388°W | CWKR | C | 98A | King City Radar | |
| Lac Castor | Saguenay River Saguenay River The Saguenay River is a major river of Quebec, Canada.It drains Lac Saint-Jean in the Laurentian Highlands, leaving at Alma and running east, and passes the city of Saguenay. It drains into the Saint Lawrence River at Tadoussac.... |
Quebec Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.... |
48.57581°N 70.66784°W | CWMB | C | 98E | ||
| Landrienne | Amos Amos, Quebec Amos is a ville in northwestern Quebec, Canada, on the Harricana River. It is the seat of Abitibi Regional County Municipality.Amos is the main city on the Harricana River, and the smallest of the three primary cities — after Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or — in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec... |
Quebec | 48.55152°N 77.80815°W | CXLA | C | 98R | Landrienne Amos | |
| Lasseter Lake Nipigon, Ontario Nipigon is a township in Thunder Bay District, Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located along the west side of the Nipigon River and south of the small Lake Helen running between Lake Nipigon and Lake Superior... |
Superior West | Ontario | 48.85352°N 89.12150°W | CXNI | C | 98E | Nipigon | |
| Marble Mountain Mount Musgrave Mount Musgrave is a mountain located in western Newfoundland, near the southern side of the Humber River valley at Steady Brook, approximately east of Corner Brook... |
Western Newfoundland | Newfoundland and Labrador | 48.93028°N 57.83417°W | CXME | C | 98A | Marble Mountain | |
| Marion Bridge Marion Bridge, Nova Scotia Marion Bridge is a Canadian rural community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality.The community is named for the eponymous bridge that crosses the Mira River; Marion Bridge being approximately mid-way between the river's source in Grand Mira and its discharge point at Mira Gut... |
Southeastern Cape Breton County Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia Cape Breton County, officially, County Cape Breton, is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, on Cape Breton Island.Taking its name from Cape Breton, the most easterly point of the island which was called after the Bretons of Brittany, this municipality has what is probably the oldest... |
Nova Scotia | 45.94947°N 60.20578°W | CXMB | C | 98E | Marion Bridge | |
| McGill | Montreal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America... |
Quebec | 45.42416°N 73.93735°W | CWMN | S | -- | Montreal | |
| Montreal River Harbour | Sault Ste Marie Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in... |
Ontario | 47.24778°N 84.59583°W | CWGJ | C | 98E | ||
| Mount Sicker | Victoria Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian... |
British Columbia | 48.86099°N 123.75654°W | CXSI | C | 98A | Mount Sicker | |
| Mount Silver Star | Vernon Vernon, British Columbia Vernon is a city in the south-central region of British Columbia, Canada. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former MLA of British Columbia who helped found the famed Coldstream Ranch, the City of Vernon was incorporated on December 30, 1892. The City of Vernon has a population of 35,944 , while... |
British Columbia | 50.36950°N 119.06436°W | CXSS | C | 98A | Silver Star | |
| Prince George Prince George, British Columbia Prince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"... |
Northern B.C. | British Columbia | 53.61308°N 122.95441°W | CXPG | C | 98R | Prince George | |
| Radisson | Saskatoon Saskatoon Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344.... |
Saskatchewan | 52.52056°N 107.44361°W | CXRA | C | 98E | Radisson | |
| Schuler | Medicine Hat | Alberta | 50.31250°N 110.19556°W | CXBU | C | 98E | Burstall | This RADAR was originally planned to be located at Burstall, Saskatchewan Burstall, Saskatchewan Burstall is a small town in southwestern Saskatchewan, Canadawith a population of approximately 500. During summer the local Lions Club organizes an activity known as Summer Slam. The main economies in the area are natural gas as well as wheat and cattle farming. The area was originally settled by... . |
| Spirit River | Grande Prairie | Alberta | 55.69250°N 119.23000°W | CWWW | C | 98E | ||
| Strathmore | Calgary Calgary Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies... |
Alberta | 51.20628°N 113.39906°W | CXSM | C | 98A | Strathmore | |
| Timmins Timmins, Ontario Timmins is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada on the Mattagami River. At the time of the Canada 2006 Census, Timmins' population was 42,997... |
Northeastern Ontario | Ontario | 49.28146°N 81.79406°W | CXTI | C | 98E | Timmins | |
| Val d'Irène Amqui, Quebec Amqui is a town in eastern Quebec at the base of the Gaspé peninsula. Located on the Matapédia River, it is the seat of La Matapédia Regional County Municipality. Amqui was the first town in Quebec to ban single-use plastic bags, effective the spring of 2008... |
Lower St. Lawrence | Quebec | 48.48028°N 67.60111°W | CXAM | C | 98A | Amqui | |
| Villeroy | Southwest of Quebec City Quebec City Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest... |
Quebec | 46.45000°N 71.91528°W | CWVY | C | 98R | Villeroy | |
| Woodlands | Winnipeg Winnipeg Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name... |
Manitoba | 50.15389°N 97.77833°W | CXWL | C | 98A | Woodlands |