On Oct. 28, Western University officially opened a new research hub to improve Canada’s understanding of extreme weather. The Canadian Severe Storms Lab (CSSL) will be the country’s leading authority on thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, and flash flooding data. The establishment of the CSSL was made possible by a generous $20 million donation from ImpactWX, a Toronto-based social impact fund.

The lab combines two successful projects—the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) and the Northern Hail Project (NHP)—to document and study tornadoes and hailstorms across Canada. A new initiative, the Northern Mesonet Project (NMP), will also be added to the lab’s portfolio to create a nationwide centralized network of weather monitoring stations to enhance data collection and make meteorological data more accessible.

The founding director of the CSSL, Dr. Greg Kopp, explained the importance of this new research facility, noting that Canada lacks consistent data on the damage caused by severe storms.

“We’re trying to capture data on all tornado occurrences, hail, and flash flooding from thunderstorms and bring everything together in one place. This information is crucial for engineers and meteorologists,” he said.

While Canada has a relatively small number of researchers focusing on severe thunderstorms, Kopp emphasized that no one has been systematically identifying the environmental impacts of these events.

The lab aims to address this gap through post-event damage surveys, gathering data on the storm’s impact on infrastructure and the environment. Kopp cited the devastating Calgary hailstorm in September, which caused nearly $3 billion in insured damage, as an example of why this research is urgently needed.

In addition to tracking tornadoes and hail, the CSSL is planning a flash flood program to investigate the causes and impacts of extreme rainfall events.

“Every year, losses are growing,” Kopp added. “In July, we had flooding in Toronto, Ont., and thunderstorms that did about 100mm in three hours.”

Integrating the NTP and NHP into the CSSL is a significant step forward for both programs.

“These projects form the foundation of the lab,” Kopp explained. “We’re expanding our work to include new research areas, like flash flooding, and continuing our mission to track severe weather events across the country.”

The lab method will enable researchers to collaborate more effectively, as data from various regions can be combined and analyzed, creating a more detailed understanding of Canada’s risks.

The data collected by the CSSL will be instrumental for urban planners and engineers, particularly in designing infrastructure that can withstand severe weather.

“So if you’re a municipal planner, for example, designing the stormwater systems in London or Toronto, and you have to decide how big the pipes are, you need to know what kind of events can happen and how often those can happen. And so, we can use this data to guide that design.”

Kopp added that the CSSL has partnerships with institutions worldwide, including the National Severe Storms Lab in Oklahoma and the European Severe Storms Lab in Vienna. Domestically, the lab works with the University of Manitoba and the University of Toronto to share data and conduct joint research on storm recovery and community resilience.

As for the future, Kopp sees the involvement of students as a critical aspect of the lab’s mission. The CSSL hires about 20 interns in the summer to conduct field research, including storm damage surveys and hailstone identification. These opportunities are open to students from all disciplines, with the lab attracting students from engineering, meteorology, political science, and even health sciences.

“We want to give students the chance to work on real-world problems and contribute to the research that will make our communities safer,” Kopp said.