David Phillips (climatologist)

Early life and education

Phillips was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, studied geography at the University of Windsor, graduating in 1967 with a B. A.

Career

Phillips taught high school for a short time. He was then hired by the Meteorological Branch of Transport Canada to conduct research on the Great Lakes in Toronto. The work involved using climatological data to answer questions about climatic records: farmers asking for frost-free seasons or temperature trends, urban planners assessing the location for an airport or about the climatology of the wind for tall-buildings and more general public queries.

In the 1990s Phillips was filmed by the Weather Network, which created a series of 90-second trivia shorts about various weather topics entitled "Ask the Expert".

Phillips studies climate and promotes awareness and understanding of weather and climate in Canada. As a weather historian he has collected and catalogued more than 35,000 weather stories. Each year since 1996 he has compiled a list and description of the year's most interesting weather stories.

For nearly a decade he wrote the Weather-wise column in the Canadian Geographic magazine. Each year he creates a calendar based on weather trivia.

As of 2015, Phillips continues to make frequent appearances on national radio and television as a commentator on weather and climate matters.

Awards

Publications

Phillips has authored several books, The Climates Of Canada and two bestsellers The Day Niagara Falls Ran Dry and Blame It On The Weather. Phillips published several essays in The Canadian Encyclopedia. He is also the author of The Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar. Among his work is the Climatic Severity Index, a ranking of 150 locations in Canada for their most extreme weather.