In the new contribution to Polar Prediction Matters, two forecasters from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) report on automated prediction products to help forecasting blizzards in the Canadian Arctic.
In the Canadian Arctic, blizzards regularly occur from October to May. Blizzard conditions are determined from a number of different weather elements so forecasting of these severe snow storms with temperatures below 0°C, wind speed stronger than 40 km/h, and visibility less than 400 meters are still a major challenge for meteorologists. In the new contribution to the Polar Prediction Matters user feedback forum, William Burrows and Curtis Mooney from ECCC introduce different automated products that help predict blizzard and near-blizzard conditions. These prediction products have been developed over a period of years and are meanwhile often used in operations.