**** Info via Environment Canada
Summer severe weather alerts
Get ready to weather these storms! With temperatures rising and skies darkening, it’s important to know how to prepare for summer severe weather. It’s time to brush up on our terminology, and that starts with understanding the difference between a severe thunderstorm watch and a warning.
A watch means that weather conditions are favourable for a storm, which could cause safety concerns. It’s time to start paying attention and preparing for possible severe weather. These alerts appear in a yellow banner in our app, so keep an eye out.
A warning is the most severe alert we issue. This means that severe weather is either happening or about to occur, and it’s time to take action to stay safe. Warnings appear in a red banner in our app, don’t ignore them!
Don’t let a severe thunderstorm warning catch you off guard! These alerts can also indicate the potential for tornadoes, so it’s important to stay aware and alert to the weather conditions around you. If conditions are favourable for a tornado to form, we will usually issue both a “tornado watch” and a “tornado warning”. A watch means that the conditions are ripe for a tornado, while a warning means that one has been spotted or indicated by radar. Remember, tornadoes can strike with little warning and cause significant damage.
Keep an eye out for yellow and red banners in our app for alerts, and act immediately if you receive a warning.
Interested in the criteria we use to issue alerts for different weather hazards? Visit our criteria for weather alerts webpage.
