Environment Canada has launched a new colour-coded alert system designed to make it easier for the public to understand the risks tied to incoming weather.
Under the updated system, all Warnings, Advisories and Watches are now issued with one of three colours — yellow, orange or red — reflecting the potential severity and impact of the weather. The colours progress from yellow to red as the level of danger increases.
A yellow alert indicates hazardous weather that may cause damage, disruption or health impacts. Environment Canada says impacts at this level tend to be moderate, localized or short-term, and yellow remains the most commonly issued alert.
An orange alert signals a higher level of concern. Severe weather is likely to cause significant damage, widespread disruption or health effects. Impacts may last for several days, and orange alerts are issued less frequently.
A red alert is the most serious. Environment Canada warns that very dangerous and potentially life-threatening weather will cause extreme damage and widespread, prolonged impacts. Red alerts are rare.
Officials note that the same type of weather can produce different local impacts depending on timing, location and population, which is why colour coding is used to highlight risk levels. Examples provided by the agency show how the system is applied to wind warnings: a yellow wind warning may bring broken branches and short-term power outages; an orange wind warning can result in snapped trees, roof damage and widespread outages; a red wind warning can lead to structural damage, severe tree loss and long-duration outages, along with a high risk of injury from flying debris.
Environment Canada encourages Canadians to read the full text of each alert regardless of its colour, as each notice includes safety guidance and recommended actions.
Marine weather alerts will continue operating under the existing single-tier system and will not adopt colour-coding.
Forecasts and alerts are available through the WeatherCAN mobile app and the federal Weather Information map.
