Learning more about Dave Phillips – Canada’s “weather guru”

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As Canadians, we love to talk about weather, especially on a day like today. And when we want to know more about what’s going on with the weather across the country, we turn to weather expert Dave Phillips- the Chief Climatologist for Environment Canada.

Today, Brittany Gogo sat down with him to learn more about the man who’s become Canada’s “Weather Guru.”

Dave Phillips is passionate about the weather. “I talk all about the weather morning noon and night even my holidays I talk about the weather. I am kind of a one sided guy I just feel ‘my gosh what would be talk about if it couldn’t be the weather’. Canadians have this fascination with weather, we talk about it more than any other subject it starts and stops all conversations.”

He’s worked for Environment Canada for 48 years, and has become known as Canada’s “Weather Guru”

“Even in my off time is spent with the weather either reading diaries or log books from ships and understanding how people dealt with weather. I have some hobbies. I love photography and I love going to the theatre.”

And seeing movies… as long as they’re not about the weather. “What I find is that I am always critiquing the weather and it almost spoils it for me.”

He has 33-thousand weather stories in his collection, and loves to share his knowledge with others. “In order for you to inform people you have to entertain them you have to actually get their attention.”

“The average sneeze is the same force as a category 2 hurricane – it’s gives you much more respect for a good gesundheit. I get invited to wine and cheese parties because people think I can regale them in weather. I’m really actually a fairly shy guy I am not one that necessarily seeks out those opportunities, but people do kind of recognize you as the weather person.”

Unless he’s at home. “I’m not allowed to talk about the weather with my family. I’s sort of off limits. When I talk about the weather I get energetic, I get this adrenaline rush.”

Which he says is why he’s spent nearly half a century working at the same place. “I never get bored with what I do. I love coming to work and that’s probably why I have come here so long.
I would probably do my work for nothing. I shouldn’t be saying that but it’s true.”