Francis Wu: Senior Program Meteorologist

Francis Wu has worked with the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) for 13 years. As a Senior Program Meteorologist within the Training and Career Development Division (TCDD), Francis takes pride in seeing the positive impact that his work has within the organization and the wider meteorological community.

Francis’ love for weather started at a young age. Growing up in Hong Kong, he was captivated by severe weather events like typhoons and thunderstorms. Throughout his career with the MSC, Francis has applied this passion to many important projects, such as when he provided tailored forecasts to the aviation industry, and the Navy and Air Force on the West Coast.

Francis is also the Liaison Officer for the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET), a program designed in 1989 to promote a deeper understanding of meteorology and new technology among meteorologists and geophysical scientists. The training that Francis has overseen through COMET is shared with other National Hydrometeorological Services as well as academia, and has shown him how weather prediction is a constantly evolving science.

Automation and technology are playing an increasingly important role across many industries. Francis believes Canada’s Weather Service is no exception to this. He sees the WeatherCAN mobile app as one of the many exciting advancements that promotes public safety by providing accurate and accessible weather information to Canadians in a modern way.

To learn more and to download the new WeatherCAN app, please visit: WeatherCAN - Canada.ca.

Here are a few random facts about Francis:

• What was your first job? I worked as a cashier at Safeway.
• What is your favourite game or sport to watch and play? I love watching hockey (Go Canucks Go!) but I enjoy playing badminton more.
• What form of public transportation do you prefer? (air, boat, train, bus, car, etc.) I like train rides. In fact, I was taking the SkyTrain to work every day before the pandemic lockdown. It is peaceful and I can just zone out or play games on my phone.
• What's your favourite fast food? McDonald’s is definitely my go-to. Speaking of which, I just had it for lunch!
• What are your hobbies? I love playing classical music. While I started as a pianist, like many kids do, I quickly switched over to the violin because I can make music with my friends and have fun while at it!
• Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I am a proud father of a 5-year-old girl and a 3-year-old boy. My kids will be in their teenage years, so I will no doubt be keeping busy at work, but also “enjoying” all of the joys and worries of being a dad to a couple of teenagers!
• What's your favourite movie? This is a tough one. I love sci-fi and fantasy so there are a lot. The first one I fell in love with is Independence Day, and it is definitely still one of my all-time favourites.