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Weather Files

Projected changes to Canada's climate may bring a number of impacts and associated risks to buildings and their occupants. Future-shifted weather files have been produced at each of the locations in Canada in the CWEC 2016 dataset, which spans the period of 1998-2014. Files are available in the EPW file format which that dataset uses, for three different 30-year periods: the 2020s (roughly current conditions), the 2050s, and the 2080s. Each file is produced using the RCP8.5 concentration pathway, which is a relatively high emissions scenario. If, instead, the world follows a lower emissions trajectory such as RCP4.5, roughly consistent with 2 degrees of warming since the pre-industrial period globally, the 2050s RCP8.5 file would be roughly representative of conditions in 2070s instead. The future-shifting (morphing) follows a modified version of the method described in Ek et al., where a rolling 21-day smoothing is applied to daily adjustments. Additional information on methods is provided in the summary table that accompanies each set of weather files.

ABOUT THIS DATASET

Future-shifted weather files have been used to inform the BC Housing Step Code Design Guide Supplement on Overheating and Air Quality which provides information on key strategies to address overheating and indoor air quality issues that may arise. The files have also been used by the University of British Columbia and RDH Building Science for guidance on Designing Climate Resilient Multifamily Buildings for a changing climate.

The weather files can be accessed by using the Wx Files tool, which allows users to filter by city, province, code, coordinates, elevation and time period, or by browsing the directories in which the weather files are stored. 

The files available as of now are version 2.2 and have recently been extended from BC to all of Canada; see below for a description of version differences.

File Versions

Version

Date

Variables

Data Source

Baseline Period

Other Notes

2.2

May 2022

Thermodynamic

CWEC2016

1998-2014

Added correction to prevent future dewpoint temperature exceeding dry bulb temperature in certain cases. Header additions moved to comment lines 1 and 2.

2.1

July 2020

Thermodynamic

CWEC2016

1998-2014

Morph all thermodynamic variables not just temperatures. Now Canada-wide.

2.0

February 2020

Temperature

CWEC2016

1998-2014

Change the baseline from 1971-2000 to use the period that months are selected from in CWEC2016 (1998-2014)

1.0

October 2019

Temperature

CWEC2016

1971-2000

Data source from CWEC2012 to CWEC2016

0.2

June 2019

Temperature

CWEC2012

1971-2000

First online launch, CWEC locations only

0.1

November 2018

Multiple Options

CWEC2012

1971-2000

Initial beta testing, manually created custom files, some at specific locations bias corrected with PRISM

TERMS OF USE

The data is subject to PCIC's terms of use.

NO WARRANTY

This data product is provided by the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium with an open license on an “AS IS” basis without any warranty or representation, express or implied, as to its accuracy or completeness. Any reliance you place upon the information contained here is your sole responsibility and strictly at your own risk. In no event will the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever, including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, arising from reliance upon the data or derived information.

REFERENCE

Ek, M., T. Murdock, S. Sobie, B. Cavkac, B. Coughlin and R. Wells, 2018: Future weather files to support climate resilient building design in Vancouver. 1st International Conference on New Horizons in Green Civil Engineering (NHICE-01). Victoria, BC, Canada. University of Victoria, 408-416.