The
Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC) is a division of the
Meteorological Service of CanadaThe Meteorological Service of Canada is a division of Environment Canada, which primarily provides public meteorological information and weather forecasts and warnings of severe weather and other environmental hazards. MSC also monitors and conducts research on climate, atmospheric science, air...
, an agency of Canada's
Department of the EnvironmentEnvironment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC), legally incorporated as...
, which exists to advise Canadians on the threat of
tropical cycloneA tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones feed on heat released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor contained in the moist air...
s such as hurricanes and tropical storms. Founded in 1986, CHC serves to provide guidance to MSC's weather centres in eastern and
Atlantic CanadaAtlantic Canada, also known as the Atlantic provinces, is the region of Canada comprising four provinces located on the Atlantic coast: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
, and is based in
Dartmouth, Nova ScotiaDartmouth , founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, a provincially designated Metropolitan Area, and a former city in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia...
. CHC frequently consults with its
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
counterpart, the
National Hurricane CenterThe National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of National Weather Service's Tropical Prediction Center responsible for tracking and predicting the likely behavior of tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.When tropical...
in Miami, to coordinate the tracks and positions of all storms that pose a threat to
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
It was
Hurricane GloriaHurricane Gloria was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed during the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season and prowled the Atlantic Ocean from September 16 to September 28. Gloria reached Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale near the Bahamas, but weakened significantly...
and its less-than-expected damage which prompted
Environment CanadaEnvironment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC), legally incorporated as...
to create the CHC.
The
Canadian Hurricane Centre (CHC) is a division of the
Meteorological Service of CanadaThe Meteorological Service of Canada is a division of Environment Canada, which primarily provides public meteorological information and weather forecasts and warnings of severe weather and other environmental hazards. MSC also monitors and conducts research on climate, atmospheric science, air...
, an agency of Canada's
Department of the EnvironmentEnvironment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC), legally incorporated as...
, which exists to advise Canadians on the threat of
tropical cycloneA tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones feed on heat released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor contained in the moist air...
s such as hurricanes and tropical storms. Founded in 1986, CHC serves to provide guidance to MSC's weather centres in eastern and
Atlantic CanadaAtlantic Canada, also known as the Atlantic provinces, is the region of Canada comprising four provinces located on the Atlantic coast: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
, and is based in
Dartmouth, Nova ScotiaDartmouth , founded in 1750, is a community and planning area of the Halifax Regional Municipality, a provincially designated Metropolitan Area, and a former city in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia...
. CHC frequently consults with its
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
counterpart, the
National Hurricane CenterThe National Hurricane Center , located at Florida International University in Miami, Florida, is the division of National Weather Service's Tropical Prediction Center responsible for tracking and predicting the likely behavior of tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.When tropical...
in Miami, to coordinate the tracks and positions of all storms that pose a threat to
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
It was
Hurricane GloriaHurricane Gloria was a powerful Cape Verde-type hurricane that formed during the 1985 Atlantic hurricane season and prowled the Atlantic Ocean from September 16 to September 28. Gloria reached Category 4 status on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale near the Bahamas, but weakened significantly...
and its less-than-expected damage which prompted
Environment CanadaEnvironment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC), legally incorporated as...
to create the CHC. Its first hurricane warnings were issued in
2008The 2008 Atlantic hurricane season was a very active hurricane season; 16 named storms formed, 8 of them hurricanes and 5 of those major hurricanes. The season officially started on June 1 and ended on November 30. These dates conventionally delimit the period of each year when most tropical...
for
Hurricane KyleHurricane Kyle was the eleventh tropical storm and sixth hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. It formed from a strong tropical disturbance that tracked across the northeastern Caribbean Sea in the third week of September. As a low pressure area, it moved slowly across Puerto Rico and...
, which struck near
Yarmouth, Nova ScotiaYarmouth is a town and major fishing and ferry port located on the Gulf of Maine in southwestern Yarmouth County Nova Scotia, Canada. It is sometimes referred to as "The Gateway to Nova Scotia".- History :...
on September 28, 2008, and quickly became extratropical while maintaining much of its strength into New Brunswick and
LabradorLabrador is a region of Atlantic Canada. Together with the island of Newfoundland from which it is separated by the Strait of Belle Isle, it constitutes the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The region is part of the much larger Labrador Peninsula on the Canadian mainland...
.
Duties
The organization gathers information on tropical and post-tropical cyclones (systems in the process of becoming extratropical cyclones), predicts their evolution, and assesses their potential impact on Canada. Their area of responsibility is bound by the Canada-United States border and extends into waters offshore Canada to . Like other hurricane centers, the Canadian Hurricane Centre makes presentations about tropical cyclones to schools, businesses, the media, and other governmental agencies. They also coordinate with the public concerning addition queries about hurricanes in Canada.
Frequency
While hurricanes are relatively uncommon in Canada, they do approach or strike from time to ages. Among recent occurrences are
Hurricane BobHurricane Bob was the second named storm, first hurricane and first major hurricane of the 1991 Atlantic hurricane season. The only hurricane to make U.S. landfall during the 1991 season, Bob brushed the Outer Banks of North Carolina as it moved northward. The storm then struck New England and...
, which struck
Campobello IslandCampobello Island is a Canadian island located at the entrance to Passamaquoddy Bay, adjacent to the entrance to Cobscook Bay, and within the Bay of Fundy...
,
New BrunswickNew Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally bilingual province in the confederation. The provincial capital is Fredericton...
, in 1991,
Hurricane LuisHurricane Luis was a very large, very intense and a long-lived Cape Verde-type hurricane as well as being among the most notable storms of 1995, the strongest at landfall and alongside Hurricane Felix, was the second most powerful storm during the unusually active 1995 Atlantic hurricane season...
which struck
Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador is a province of Canada on the country's Atlantic coast in northeastern North America. This easternmost Canadian province comprises two main parts: the island of Newfoundland off the country's eastern coast, and Labrador on the mainland to the northwest of the island.A...
in September 1995,
Hurricane HortenseHurricane Hortense was the eighth tropical storm, sixth hurricane, and second Category 4 hurricane of the 1996 Atlantic hurricane season. Lasting from September 3 to September 16, Hortense brought torrential flooding as it moved through the Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic...
which struck
Nova ScotiaNova Scotia is a Canadian province located on Canada's southeastern coast. It is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. Its capital, Halifax, is a major economic centre of the region. Nova Scotia is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of...
in September 1996, Hurricane Michael which struck Newfoundland in
October 2000October 2000 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December-----Events:* October 1 - 2 October 2000 events - 12 Arab citizens of Israel are killed by Israeli security forces after a riot/violent demonstration of solidarity with...
, and
Hurricane JuanHurricane Juan was a significant hurricane that struck the southern part of Atlantic Canada in late September 2003. It was the tenth named storm and the sixth hurricane of the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season....
, which struck Nova Scotia in
September 2003September 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December-Events:-September 1, 2003:*Mexican President Vicente Fox delivers his annual State of the Union address to Congress....
. Also of note due to its rarity and the damage caused is
Hurricane HazelHurricane Hazel was the deadliest and most costly hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season and one of the deadliest and costliest storms of the 20th century. The hurricane killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States, where it killed 95 people, near the...
which hit
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
,
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
in 1954, which remained a strong storm even after crossing over the U.S. East Coast states. There is also a hurricane ceter in Manitoba.
External links