Canada’s weather warning system has changed. This way

Environment and Climate Change Canada has changed its weather warning system across the country.

The usual watches and warnings are being replaced with a colour-coded, risk-level system to give you a better idea of ​​how the forecast will impact you and how you should prepare.

The changes are in line with World Meteorological Union recommendations and follow updates already implemented by 31 weather agencies across Europe.

Environment and Climate Change Canada will continue to issue the types of warnings you typically see throughout the year, including severe storm warnings and alerts, precipitation warnings, snowfall warnings and wind warnings.

Special weather details are still in the mix, which appear in gray.

Those statements will continue to provide information about a weather event that is potentially significant or interesting, but does not reach warning-level criteria.

The difference going forward is that each of these warnings will now have a yellow, orange or red color-coded warning level. The warning level will be based on an assessment of both the potential impacts of the weather event and the confidence of the forecast.

So the greater the impacts and the greater the confidence that the coming climate will actually lead to those impacts, the higher the warning level.

Let’s talk about color levels and detail the effects for you:

yellow alert

For most warning-eligible storms and hazardous events, you’ll likely see a yellow warning.

Yellow Alert is the baseline for monitoring and warnings and can be issued for a variety of weather conditions. This is the type of weather that will bring dangerous or hazardous conditions, impacting travel and causing delays or cancellations. There may be health effects, such as reduced air quality or heat warnings.

orange alert

Orange warnings are the next step and will be issued for storms that are likely to cause widespread or significant damage.

Here we’re talking about a massive storm, or catastrophic ice storm, that leaves thousands of homes and businesses without power for days.

An orange alert will be issued for winter storms, which will take a few days to completely dissipate. If an orange level warning is issued for your area, you should be prepared to take action to protect yourself and your property.

red alert

The highest alert level is red. If a Red Alert is issued, it means that dangerous and potentially life-threatening weather is approaching, or is about to occur.

Under red alert, you should expect prolonged and widespread disruption to travel and power, with widespread damage to property and infrastructure. Examples include Hurricane Fiona in September 2022, or the ice storm of 2024 that brought 150 cm of snow to parts of Cape Breton, or flooding events, such as those experienced by Maritimers in the past few years.

If a red alert is issued, it means you must take action now to stay safe from destructive weather.

By focusing on the effects of weather rather than the weather itself, the main goal is to increase hurricane preparedness and better inform how to prepare in advance.

So when a warning is issued for your area, it is important to read the contents of that warning to determine what weather conditions are being covered and then act accordingly.

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