HOW MY WEATHER PAGE STARTED

I’d like to share my story and the journey behind Wellington Severe Weather Reports and the Upper Hutt Weather Station.

My interest in weather forecasting began in 2007 while I was studying Ski Patrol. During that time, I learned how weather systems directly affect Mt Ruapehu and alpine safety. That experience gave me a deep respect for weather forecasting and its real-world importance.

After the ski season ended, I began forecasting the weather informally for friends on my personal Facebook page. I continued doing this for several years, building knowledge and experience along the way.

In June 2013, Wellington experienced a significant storm event. Encouraged by friends, I created a dedicated Facebook group called Wellington Severe Weather Reports to provide timely, local weather information. The response was overwhelming, and the page quickly grew to thousands of members.

In 2017, members of the community suggested an ambitious idea—crowdfunding a public weather station for Upper Hutt. At the time, Upper Hutt had no publicly available weather observation data. What followed was a seven-year community effort involving sausage sizzles, calendar sales, sponsorships, and generous donations from local businesses and residents.

Through this collective effort, Business and community donations $200,000 was raised. This allowed us to install one of the most advanced weather stations in New Zealand—comparable to those used at international airports, featuring state-of-the-art instruments.

The Upper Hutt Weather Station was installed at St Joseph’s School in April 2023. It serves both the wider community and an educational purpose, allowing students and residents to view live weather data in real time via on-site displays and the station website (www.wswr.co.nz). The station is now the official weather station for Upper Hutt City.

The observation data is now actively used by MetService to improve forecasting accuracy across the Hutt Valley region. One particularly rewarding outcome has been seeing Upper Hutt featured on One News Weather at 6pm, ensuring our local climate is accurately represented.

This project was deeply personal and required years of dedication, persistence, and community trust. The outcome exceeded anything I could have imagined and stands as a testament to what a community can achieve together.

Now in 2026, I continue to provide regular weather forecasts to over 50,000 followers. The work has been genuinely life-changing, and I’m proud of the strong connection built with the community.

Some personal milestones include being one of the youngest recipients of an Upper Hutt City Civic Award, and later winning my category at the Wellington Airport Awards—both humbling acknowledgements of this journey.

Special thanks to my friends at the MetService New Zealand

I am forever grateful, Daniel

A “thank you” to Daniel Talbot who gave permission for this article to be put up on The Upper Hutt Connection.

12/01/26