![]() ![]() The progress of an event's water levels, wave heights and wind directions was plotted.Īs lake levels began to decline in 1987, the high water level crisis passed. The Communications Centre was able to maintain a record of the high water events using information obtained from gauges, weather stations, wave rider buoys, Conservation Authorities, police forces, and other first hand observers. The Communications Centre, in turn, provided up-to-the-minute information to the public and media. The Water Level Forecast Centre notified the Communications Centre of high water level watches and warnings. The other was the Great Lakes Water Level Communications Centre located at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington. One was the Meteorological Service of Canada's Great Lakes Water Level Forecast Centre at the Ontario Weather Centre in Toronto. In 1986, when lake levels had reached record highs for the century, Environment Canada established two centres in Ontario to forecast and disseminate information about Great Lakes water levels. If significant flooding is a certainty, then a "Flood Warning" is issued and all concerned parties notified.ĭuring floods, the River Forecast Centre operates around-the-clock if the situation warrants, to provide up-to-date information to the wide variety of agencies involved in flood damage prevention. If heavy rainfall occurs but little or no flooding is expected, a "High Water Advisory" may be issued. Forecasts based on predicted rainfall are issued to special clients such as Environment Canada to alert them to a potential situation. The Centre also communicates directly with affected municipalities to pass on technical information about the flooding.įlood information is disseminated in stages. ![]() Alberta's Public Safety Services Department receives flood warnings from the Centre and uses the information to work with municipalities on flood damage prevention. These maps are used to estimate area and water equivalent of snowcover in prairie areas for spring runoff forecasting.įlood forecasts are produced as the need arises and are sent directly to a variety of government and public news media agencies. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) satellite imagery. ![]() The data are used not only by the River Forecast Centre but by a variety of other water management agencies as well.Īs a pilot project, the Centre receives weekly snow cover maps derived from NOAA ( U.S. The DACQ Computer automatically telephones each site, retrieves the data, and stores it. Telephone telemetry is used at over 100 stations in Alberta. The River Forecast Centre's DACQ System then accesses the GOES computer by telephone line to download the telemetered information. The remote data collection platform automatically sends a signal every three hours to the satellite, which relays it to a ground receiving station near Washington, D.C. The GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) system is used to obtain data from more than 100 remote sites. The Centre's DACQ Real-time Data Acquisition System processes approximately 20 000 pieces of information each day. It accesses data from remote river level and weather monitoring stations through satellite and telephone telemetry. The Centre is highly automated, particularly in its ability to collect real-time data. ![]()
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