People
Weather Fills Waugh With Wonder
If there’s an extreme weather event happening, that’s where Chris Waugh wants to be.
“I love extreme weather,” he says, enthusiastically, “as long as no one is getting hurt, it’s so exciting.”
Chris has been a weather enthusiast for as long as he can remember. His childhood memories include going outside their family home in Prince George with a barometer to check the air pressure.
“I don’t even know where the barometer came from, I just know that I found it interesting and it was fun to use the barometer,” he says.
At his home in Abbotsford, Chris has a small weather station that helps him track rainfall and air pressure. He has found communities online where he can learn and share his passion. Forums like BC Weather Storms are places to engage with other enthusiasts. He also subscribes to websites that show weather models and run simulations to try to help forecast the weather. He’s learned that every model has a bias.
“European models tend to have a low rain bias, at least in the Lower Mainland regions, whereas Canadian models over-predict rain, so you take averages,” Chris explains.
He shares this knowledge through his X account @cwaughweather, which has a respectable following. Chris believes that everyone should take an interest in what’s happening in the atmosphere.
“It’s important, especially when the weather is extreme,” he says. “We saw in 2021 with the heat dome, and recently with the atmospheric river, how dangerous weather can be. It’s not a joke. Being aware of what’s happening with the weather helps people prepare and stay safe.”
One of the places where Chris shares his love of all things weather related is at his Men’s Group at Communitas Supportive Care Society. Dan Boschmann is a Life Skills Worker with Communitas and says that there isn’t a week that goes by where he hasn’t heard Chris talk about weather. To Dan, it’s an indicator of Chris’ passion and drive to learn.
“Chris doesn’t just think on a surface level. When he thinks on a topic, he mulls over it and tries to find something in it that he can apply to his life,” Dan says. “I think it speaks to his character and his integrity.”
When Chris isn’t exploring the weather, he might be at his job in the Food Court at Sevenoaks Shopping Centre where he works for Janitorial Services. Chris also plays guitar, participates in a young adults group at his church, and enjoys spending time with his dog, Toffee.
But since weather watching has held a fascination for him since childhood, it’s unlikely that it will ever be far from his mind. After all, the weather is all around us. And while it appears to the average lay person that Chris’ weather knowledge is encyclopedic, he is very humble and acknowledges that forecasting is not an exact science.
“Even the experts get it wrong sometimes,” he says. “At times, it’s difficult to predict the weather.”
To follow Chris, visit @cwaughweather
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