VIDEO: 'You're dealing with forecasts that could affect peoples lives'

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry weather office located in Sault Ste. Marie has a reputation across Canada for being a proactive meteorological service.

Join coordinator Jerry Shields for an inside look at the office and its many facets of weather forecasting.

Unlike typical weather forecasters, the office primarily provides information to internal and external emergency management services.

A new forecast tool called ‘WeatherSHIELD’ was developed with input from the weather office. It allows site-specific forecasts from today to the months ahead based on an innovative approach to matching current climate conditions/indices to similar events in the past.

The weather office provides detailed forecasts to assist with planning and movement of the Ministry's resources to stay one step ahead of potentially high impact weather (floods, fire, ice storms, severe storms, etc.).

Fire crews that are in the wilderness fighting fires can be evacuated from the path of dangerous storms with info provided from the weather office.

Weather staff from Sault Ste. Marie were deployed to Alberta to help with forecasting the Fort McMurray Fire and provided weather briefings during Hurricane Sandy to provincial agencies about potential impacts to Ontario.