Brandon getting its first full out DQ restaurant isn’t the only case of “popular-demand” being met this month.
The wide world of weather apps has its share of different outlets with their own take on getting you the weather data you need. Some of those come from very reputable meteorological sources, others perhaps not so much. I come from the school of thought that when the chips are down Environment Canada is the best source of most accurate info. While EC has made its data available to 3rd party websites and apps for quite some time, there’s always been a sort of void with there not being one simple official app to get that data, in particular alerts, straight from the horse’s mouth so to speak.
That changed this past week with Environment Canada finally launching its “WeatherCan“ app in both iOS and Android formats. Using the app one can not only check daily forecasts but hourly ones, view live radar and more. Perhaps the most significant feature IMO is built-in notifications for weather alerts. I’ve had a bit of a love-hate with phone notifications in general but getting weather warnings directly from Environment Canada to my phone as they’re released will be a super valuable addition to my day.
While there’s a lot of well-meaning and fun info out there I’d question that in a case of a serious weather situation whether folks may get contradictory weather info and will simply go the way of who they heard it from first rather than the pros whose job it is to make the most informed possible weather decisions and advise the public accordingly. I think most of us have figured out that meteorology isn’t an exact science but in an event such as imminent flood or tornado, what happens if pros and amateurs disagree and an immediate response is required from the public?
As far as eBrandon, in addition to this site having a popular Weather page that makes use of Environment Canada data you will have noticed that I’ve placed increased priority on weather coverage in the buzz section in recent months... and going by the stats I happen to have noticed that you seem to enjoy reading it :)
While i consider myself very interested in weather as a topic and hobby, I’m not a meteorologist. That’s why when it comes to relaying and discussing forecasts and warnings my postings will be based first and foremost on citing meteorological sources like Environment Canada or The Weather Network.
When it comes to getting immediate and important alerts to your phone I’d encourage you to download EC’s app at the link below to make sure that as a community when having discussions about the weather we’re as informed as possible.
The download links are below. The Apple app is currently showing as the #1 free weather app in Canada, for Android it is #2 behind The Weather Network.
Apple
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/id1334221563?mt=8
Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.gc.ec.weather_app_android.ops