Weatherzone
An Australian commercial weather-information company serving consumers, broadcasters, and weather-sensitive industries.
Last updated August 22, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Weatherzone is an Australian commercial weather-information brand and meteorological services company. It operates a public weather website and mobile applications while also supplying higher-value forecasting, alerting, data, and presentation services to commercial customers. Its business is particularly oriented toward sectors in which weather affects operational safety, asset utilization, production, or financial performance, including energy, utilities, mining, ports, insurance, agriculture, and large retail businesses. The company began in 1998 when Mark Hardy, a former Australian Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist, established the business to create weather graphics, scripts, and briefings for television presentations. This origin gave Weatherzone an early role as a provider of weather content to broadcasters rather than solely as a consumer-facing forecast publisher. Over time, it expanded into a broader commercial meteorology business and developed relationships with both media organizations and enterprise customers. A major turning point came in 2008 with the development of Opticast, a forecasting system designed to respond to demand for more frequent and operationally useful forecasts. Opticast combines information from numerous numerical weather-prediction models, including variants of Weatherzone's internally operated Weather Research and Forecasting model. The system is run on an hourly cycle, allowing forecasts to respond comparatively quickly to changing conditions and newly available model information. Weatherzone subsequently used Opticast and related services in the energy and mining sectors, where improved weather intelligence can support electricity-market planning, renewable-energy operations, field work, logistics, and risk management. Weatherzone aggregates and presents information from a broad range of sources. These include the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, government and environmental organizations, international meteorological providers, and media or public-information bodies. The company also maintains its own meteorological capability and a large lightning-detection network in Australia. Its products therefore combine internally generated forecasts and analysis with public-sector warnings, radar and satellite material, and other specialist datasets. For individual users, the Weatherzone website and apps provide forecasts, rain radar, satellite imagery, severe-weather information, warnings, and weather-related editorial content. The iOS offering has included products for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, with forecast horizons of up to ten days and a mixture of free, advertising-supported access and paid subscription features. Weatherzone Pro, previously known as Weatherzone Silver, provides more advanced forecast information and uses output from the company's own modeling and forecasting systems. The company has also supplied weather components and embedded services for third-party websites, including agricultural, media, and other high-traffic digital properties. The business changed its public name from The Weather Company to Weatherzone on 9 August 2010, although it continued to trade legally as The Weather Company Pty Ltd. Fairfax Media acquired a 75 percent interest in the company in 2008, with founder Mark Hardy retaining a minority interest and the managing-director role at that time. Weatherzone later formed part of Fairfax's Digital Ventures portfolio. Fairfax's stake was acquired by the United States-based weather-information company DTN on 1 October 2019 for an undisclosed amount. Weatherzone remains primarily identified with the Australian market and with the provision of commercial meteorological services rather than with a conventional consumer-goods product line.
History
Weatherzone was founded in Australia in 1998 by Mark Hardy, a former Bureau of Meteorology meteorologist. Its initial work focused on producing weather graphics, scripts, and briefings for television weather presentations. This broadcast-oriented foundation positioned the company as a specialist weather-content supplier and helped it develop expertise in translating meteorological information into practical public and media products. On 25 June 2008, Fairfax Media acquired a 75 percent share in the business, which was then known as The Weather Company. Hardy retained the remaining 25 percent and continued as managing director. The same period marked an important shift toward enterprise meteorology. In response to demand from industry for more accurate and frequently updated forecasts, Weatherzone developed Opticast in 2008. The system draws on more than a dozen numerical weather models, including variants of an internally operated Weather Research and Forecasting model. Its algorithms are run hourly, allowing forecasts to incorporate changing model output and evolving weather conditions. Opticast supported Weatherzone's expansion into energy, utilities, and mining. The company's commercial services were subsequently used by major Australian electricity organizations, including AGL, Snowy Hydro, Origin, and the Australian Energy Market Operator, according to the referenced account. Weatherzone also developed services for ports, insurance companies, retailers, agricultural websites, broadcasters, and other organizations whose activities depend on timely weather information. On 9 August 2010, the company changed its public name from The Weather Company to Weatherzone. It nevertheless continued to trade under the legal name The Weather Company Pty Ltd. During the Fairfax ownership period, Weatherzone became part of Fairfax's Digital Ventures group. Charles Solomon was appointed managing director in September 2013. In 2015, the company broadened its geographic reach through an investment in AfricaWeather, a South African weather business. The company has maintained a hybrid model combining proprietary meteorological work with aggregation and presentation of information from public and private sources. These sources include the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, environmental authorities, international meteorological organizations, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and global weather providers. Weatherzone also operates Australia's largest total-lightning detection network, according to the referenced material, and uses its own WRF modeling in products such as Weatherzone Pro and Opticast. Its consumer services include a public website and smartphone applications with forecasts, rain radar, satellite imagery, warnings, and weather news. The apps have offered both advertising-funded free access and paid subscription features, while the premium Weatherzone Pro service provides more advanced forecast content. Weatherzone has also supplied weather displays and data feeds to third-party websites and provided broadcast and global weather content. On 1 October 2019, United States-based DTN acquired Fairfax Media's 75 percent stake in Weatherzone for an undisclosed amount. Weatherzone consequently became part of DTN's broader weather-information business while retaining its established Australian brand and service portfolio. Its principal identity remains that of a commercial meteorological company serving both the general public and professional users, especially energy, mining, utilities, insurance, ports, agriculture, and media customers.
- 2019
DTN acquires Fairfax's Weatherzone stake
[1]DTN acquired Fairfax Media's 75 percent holding in Weatherzone in a transaction whose value was not disclosed.
- 2015
Expansion into South Africa
[1]Weatherzone expanded internationally through an investment in AfricaWeather.
- 2013
Weatherzone joins Fairfax Digital Ventures leadership portfolio
[1]Charles Solomon was appointed managing director while the business operated within Fairfax Media's Digital Ventures group.
- 2010
Public name changes to Weatherzone
[1]The company replaced The Weather Company as its public brand name, while retaining its former legal trading name.
- 2008
Opticast forecasting system developed
[1]Weatherzone developed Opticast to provide more frequent and operationally useful forecasts using multiple numerical weather models and hourly processing.
- 2008
Fairfax Media acquires majority ownership
[1]Fairfax Media acquired 75 percent of The Weather Company, while Mark Hardy retained a 25 percent interest.
- 1998
Weatherzone is founded
[1]Mark Hardy founded the business to provide television weather graphics, scripts, and briefings.
Products and positioning
A full-service Australian weather-information provider combining consumer forecasts with specialized meteorological intelligence for weather-sensitive industries.
Consumer weather information
Weatherzone website
Weatherzone's public digital service presents local and national forecasts, radar and satellite imagery, weather news, warnings, and other meteorological information. It combines Weatherzone content with information from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and other providers in an interface designed for general users.
Mobile weather applications
Weatherzone mobile apps
The mobile applications provide forecast information, rain radar, warnings, and related weather content. The iOS product has included iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch versions, as well as the WeatherPulse video feature. Access has been offered through free advertising-supported and paid subscription arrangements.
Premium weather service
Weatherzone Pro
Weatherzone Pro, formerly known as Weatherzone Silver, is a subscription-oriented service for users seeking more advanced forecast detail. It uses output from Weatherzone's own Weather Research and Forecasting model and feeds from the company's wider forecasting systems.
Commercial forecasting system · 2008
Opticast
Opticast is Weatherzone's multi-model forecasting system. It processes information from more than a dozen numerical weather models, including internally operated WRF-model variants, and runs its algorithms hourly. The system supports specialized forecasts for energy, utilities, mining, and other weather-sensitive operations.
Enterprise weather services
Commercial meteorological services
Weatherzone supplies tailored forecasts, alerts, weather displays, data feeds, and operational meteorological advice to industries including energy, mining, utilities, ports, insurance, agriculture, and retail. It also provides weather components for third-party websites and broadcast outlets.
Brand decisions
2019
Sale of Fairfax Media's majority stake to DTNM&ABackground
Weatherzone had operated within Fairfax Media's Digital Ventures portfolio after Fairfax acquired its majority interest in 2008.
Action taken
DTN acquired Fairfax Media's 75 percent stake on 1 October 2019.
Aftermath
Weatherzone became part of DTN's international weather-information group. The transaction value was not disclosed.
2015
Investment in AfricaWeatherStrategyBackground
Weatherzone sought to extend its weather-information activities beyond its established Australian market.
Action taken
The company invested in AfricaWeather, a South Africa-based weather business.
Aftermath
The investment represented Weatherzone's documented expansion into an additional geographic market.
2010
Rebranding from The Weather Company to WeatherzoneStrategyBackground
The business had operated publicly as The Weather Company since its founding and was expanding its consumer and commercial service portfolio.
Action taken
The organization adopted Weatherzone as its public brand name on 9 August 2010 while retaining The Weather Company Pty Ltd as its trading name.
Aftermath
Weatherzone became the primary customer-facing identity for the company's website, applications, and commercial meteorological services.
2008
Launch of the Opticast forecasting systemProduct launchBackground
Industrial customers were seeking forecasts that updated more frequently and provided greater operational value than conventional forecast products.
Action taken
Weatherzone developed a system that combines outputs from numerous numerical weather models, including internally operated WRF variants, and recalculates its algorithms hourly.
Aftermath
The system helped Weatherzone expand into energy, utilities, and mining markets and supported services for major Australian electricity organizations.
Recent events
- 2019
DTN acquires Fairfax Media's Weatherzone stake[1]
M&A
DTN acquired Fairfax Media's 75 percent interest in Weatherzone. The transaction value was not disclosed.
- 2015
Weatherzone invests in AfricaWeather[1]
M&A
Weatherzone expanded its international activity through an investment in South Africa-based AfricaWeather.
- 2013
Charles Solomon appointed managing director[1]
Leadership change
Charles Solomon was appointed managing director while Weatherzone was part of Fairfax Media's Digital Ventures group.
- 2010
The Weather Company adopts the Weatherzone name[1]
Other
The business changed its public operating name from The Weather Company to Weatherzone, while continuing to trade legally as The Weather Company Pty Ltd.
- 2008
Fairfax Media acquires a majority stake in The Weather Company[1]
M&A
Fairfax Media acquired a 75 percent interest in Weatherzone's predecessor, The Weather Company. Founder Mark Hardy retained a minority holding and continued as managing director at the time.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/weatherzone · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled