By Canadian Press

Canadian on-air weather personalities shifting tone amid worsening climate change

Jul 26, 2022 | 12:56 PM

Some Canadian on-air weather personalities say they’ve had to shift their tone and approach in light of worsening climate change. 

CTV News’ Vancouver Island weather anchor Warren Dean says he’s changed his approach over the last five years to share a “bigger picture” in his forecasts, explaining why a region is seeing certain conditions and how they could affect people living there. 

But he says it’s been difficult getting through to some viewers who choose not to listen to the warnings that weather specialists and meteorologists issue. 

CBC meteorologist Colette Kennedy, who has been reporting on the weather since 1995, says she’s “had to get comfortable with negative reporting” as more extreme weather events occur.

Jim Abraham, president of the Canadian Meteorological & Oceanographic Society, says the challenge for meteorologists and on-air weather personalities when it comes to climate change is preparing the public “for something that they’ve never experienced before.” 

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He says forecasters need to work together, along with different levels of government, to ensure that the messaging they put out is “consistent and clear” so that it’s taken seriously. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2022. 

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.  

The Canadian Press