Western launches Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory
New research centre will transform understanding of damaging winds, hail and flash floods in Canada
London, ON (Nov. 1, 2024) – Western University has announced the launch of the Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory (CSSL) within its Faculty of Engineering to advance the study of atmospheric science, including thunderstorms, hail, and flash floods. The project is supported by a $20 million investment from the university’s long-established partner, ImpactWX, to position the CSSL as the authoritative source for severe thunderstorm data and research in the country, with the goal of mitigating damage and improving the safety and well-being of all Canadians.
“The CSSL will greatly improve severe and extreme weather detection and documentation across the country while mitigating harm to Canadians and their properties,” said Greg Kopp, CSSL founding director and ImpactWX Chair in Severe Storms Engineering.
A global leader in wind engineering and climate resiliency for 60 years, Western University is changing the way Canadians think about the country’s most dangerous and damaging weather events.
“Western’s track record in climate change research and natural disaster mitigation stands among the top in the world,” said Western President Alan Shepard. “ImpactWX’s continued investment and the launch of the CSSL will amplify our research capacity significantly. Gathering essential storm data and providing critical analysis will help inform policy and will result in real damage prevention and mitigation strategies to help people, communities and businesses right across the country.”
Please visit https://youtu.be/wYc2OQ-U-SE if the embedded video player doesn’t work.
The establishment of the CSSL also aligns Canada with severe storm researchers in the U.S. and Europe. The U.S. National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), based in Norman, Okla., works to improve the lead time and accuracy of severe weather warnings and forecasts in the U.S., whereas the European Severe Storms Laboratory (ESSL) has the primary goal of detecting and documenting severe weather for Europe from headquarters in Weßling, Germany and Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
Under the umbrella of the CSSL, Western engineering researchers will continue the successful national tornado and hail investigative initiatives of the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) and the Northern Hail Project (NHP).
“The Canadian Severe Storms Laboratory represents a new era in severe thunderstorm research in Canada. At Western, we have a lot of experience and expertise studying severe storms and now it’s time to take it to the next level,” said NTP executive director David Sills. “This translates to a far better knowledge of risk and impacts in Canada, and the ability to impart that knowledge to decision makers and the general public. I’m excited for the future.”
About Western University
With over 30,000 students and 300,000 alumni, Western is a leading research-intensive university and global community of individuals focused on making change in the world, today. We welcome scholars from around the world to beautiful London, Ontario. For more information, please visit www.uwo.ca.
SOURCE: Western University Faculty of Engineering
Tags: launch, Natural Catastrophes, severe weather