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| Service météorologique du Canada | |
 Canadian Metrological Centre,Dorval,Quebec | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1871 |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Canada |
| Headquarters | Toronto,Ontario |
| Minister responsible |
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| Parent department | Environment and Climate Change Canada |
| Website | weather |
TheMeteorological Service of Canada (MSC;French:Service météorologique du Canada – SMC) is a branch ofEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, which primarily provides publicmeteorological information andweather forecasts and warnings of severe weather and other environmental hazards. MSC also monitors and conducts research on theclimate,atmospheric science,air quality, water quantities, ice and otherenvironmental issues. MSC operates a network of radio stations throughout Canada transmitting weather and environmental information 24 hours a day calledWeatheradio Canada.
Prior to 1840, meteorological observations in Canada were made by private individuals, other entities (likeHBC), and explorers, but this information was not provided to the general public.[1]
In 1840, British officials (British Ordnance Department) and theRoyal Society established an observatory in Toronto,Canada West, one of a few across theBritish Empire[1] and likely modeled after theRoyal Observatory, Greenwich.
The Toronto observatory ended in 1853, but the colonial government of the province of Canada took over the service and continued collecting climate data. On May 1, 1871, the newDominion of Canada established the Meteorological Service of Canada by providing a $5000 grant to ProfessorG. T. Kingston of theUniversity of Toronto to establish a network of weather observations. This information was collected and made available to the public from 1877 onwards. The MSC was then assigned under theDepartment of Marine and Fisheries.
From 1936 to 1946 the services assigned under theDepartment of Transport as theMeteorological Division of the Air Services Branch' and as theMeteorological Branch from 1956.[2]
In 1939, theMeteorological Division, Air Services Branch was expanding rapidly to serve commercial aviation. In September 1939 the full-time staff of the Meteorological Division based in Toronto numbered 213, of which 51 were meteorologists and 57 were meteorological observers.[3]
In 1971 the Canadian Meteorological Service was established under the Department of Environment (Environment Canada) in 1971.[4] The AES was renamed later as theMeteorological Service of Canada.
There are currently six public weather forecast offices:
There are two centres dedicated to aviation weather forecasting: Canadian Meteorological Aviation Centre-East, located in Montreal, and Canadian Meteorological Aviation Centre-West, located in Edmonton.
MSC also operates theCanadian Center for Meteorological and Environmental Prediction, which is tasked with providing forecast guidance, and theCanadian Ice Service,[5] which provides ice observations and forecasts for mariners. In support of Canada's military, some MSC meteorologists are seconded to theDepartment of National Defence.
The Meteorological Service of Canada wasISO9001:2000 Certified for their Hydrometric Monitoring Program.[6]
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