There are a few sounds that instantly get a cottager’s attention. The whine of a chainsaw nearby. A loon calling at dusk. The sudden silence that arrives just before a summer storm. For some cottage owners, there used to be another one: the alert tone from weather radio.
For decades, Environment Canada’s Weatheradio network quietly broadcast forecasts, watches, and warnings across the country. Sitting on a shelf in a cottage kitchen or boathouse, the radio could issue an alarm when severe weather threatened, even when there was no internet, no television, and no reliable cell signal.
Earlier this year, Environment and Climate Change Canada discontinued the Weatheradio service, citing the growing use of smartphones and digital weather alerts. The change came as a surprise to some outdoor enthusiasts, including a camper who recently discovered the service had been shut down while weathering a storm in Ontario’s cottage country.
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The timing has caught people’s attention for an obvious reason: summer thunderstorm season is underway.
Environment Canada recently issued a thunderstorm outlook for parts of central Ontario, including Muskoka, reminding residents and visitors that severe weather can develop quickly. Strong winds, lightning, hail, and torrential rain are all part of the seasonal package.
At the cottage, weather tends to feel a little more immediate. In the city, a storm might mean a delayed commute or a soggy dog walk. At the lake, it can mean getting a boat off the water, securing the dock furniture, checking on the generator, and making sure the canoe doesn’t end up visiting the neighbours.
So what replaces Weatheradio? The federal government is encouraging Canadians to use WeatherCAN, its free weather app. The app provides forecasts, radar maps, watches, warnings, and notifications based on your location. Users can also save multiple locations, which is handy for anyone who spends weekdays in one community and weekends in another.
Emergency alerts delivered through the Alert Ready system remain active as well. These alerts can appear automatically on compatible smartphones when there’s an immediate threat to safety, including certain severe weather events.
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Still, many cottagers will recognize the obvious limitation. A smartphone is only as useful as the signal reaching it.
Large areas of Ontario’s cottage country continue to have inconsistent cellular coverage. Some lakes have excellent reception. Others may only have one reliable spot on their cottage property, where everyone congregates with their phones in the air.
Checking the forecast before leaving home, enabling emergency alerts, downloading weather apps, and paying attention to thunderstorm outlooks can provide valuable extra warning when conditions begin to deteriorate.
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