Scientists and engineers studying aftermath of severe storms in Manitoba

A group of scientists are in Winnipeg to study destructive storms and share how people can prepare for future weather events. Daniel Halmarson reports.

A group of Canadian scientists and engineers are in Winnipeg this week to study a destructive storm system that rolled through Manitoba on June 9.

Western University’s Canadian Severe Storms Lab (CSSL) identifies and categorizes summer weather systems across Canada, focusing on tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail, and flash flooding.

“So, those were supercells,” CSSL’s director Gregory Kopp said of the June 9 storm system. “They were really significant thunderstorm events, they spun off some tornadoes… One of my teams just last night got a hailstone from a resident that was eight centimetres.”

Kopp said these types of disastrous storms are happening more frequently across the continent.

“We’re trying to capture this data to understand the changing patterns,” he explained. “Tornadoes seem to be shifting eastward, for example.”

The lab uses the data to learn how to build tougher infrastructure by using materials like hurricane straps on roofs, along with impact-resistant shingles and siding.

The CSSL tests siding and other building materials with devices like a “hail cannon,” an air-compressed gun capable of firing golf ball-sized hail at over 100 kilometres per hour.

“We can look at things that help protect houses from tornadoes and keep them intact, to backwater valves that keep water out of the basement when there’s a massive thunderstorm,” Kopp said.

He said proactive measures don’t just make houses safer; they help reduce losses caused by severe weather events.

“Every one of these events – we’re always talking about billions of dollars. Now that affects insurance rates,” Kopp said. “It’s kind of like death by a thousand cuts… And if we can reduce the losses, it keeps insurance affordable.”

Kopp said the CSSL is pushing for government rebates to help people pay for upgrades to their homes, and the lab is also pushing for changes to Canada’s building code to bring more severe weather events into the fold.