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The City of Ottawa is looking to bring on a meteorologist who can help figure out why Nepean keeps getting hit by so much extreme weather.
The work won’t be limited to Nepean or the west end, city staff confirmed. But College ward Coun. Laine Johnson, who made the request in a motion at city council on Wednesday, specifically mentioned the Canada Day rainstorm that primarily affected Ottawa’s western neighbourhoods, as well as the 2018 tornadoes, the 2022 derecho and the 2023 ice storm.
“It might be a little new, but certainly we want to assure our residents that we have gathered evidence to support our decisions, and one of the variables we know the least about is the weather,” she said.
After a while it’s not bad luck. It’s a pattern.- Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine
Johnson said it seems like Nepean and surrounding areas are experiencing weather that differs from other parts of the city. Her motion called on the city to engage “a qualified professional with expertise in mesoscale meteorology and urban climatology to analyze recent and historical weather patterns and events in Nepean and across Ottawa.”
City staff say the work could help track those small-scale local weather patterns. Tammy Rose, the city’s general manager of infrastructure and water services, said a meteorologist could help determine whether this “is all random or is there a pattern that’s emerging.”
‘Perfect storm’ of vulnerabilities
Knoxdale-Merivale Coun. Sean Devine said his west end neighbourhoods are dealing with a “perfect storm” of vulnerabilities including infrastructure problems, topographic features and weather patterns. He said his residents have been glued to weather updates ever since the tornadoes.
“I and all of my neighbours have been slaves to the weather app…. You see that big red blob sweeping across much of Nepean,” he said. “After a while it’s not bad luck. It’s a pattern.”
He said better understanding would help the city steer resources to areas that are most at risk.
The Canada Day rainstorm flooded more than 6,500 basements, especially in Knoxdale-Merivale and College wards in Nepean and Bay ward farther north. Some areas received up to 167 millimetres of rain, with city staff saying it represented a once-in-200-year weather event.
It was followed by a windstorm on Aug. 12 that caused still more damage and power outages in some of the same neighbourhoods.
The city already has a meteorologist on retainer, but their work is limited to short-term forecasting to help it prepare for responses like winter maintenance. The new hire would be tasked with doing a much broader assessment.
The motion says the new meteorologist would be paid for through existing budgets.