This page celebrates the life, work and legacy of David King (1939 - 2025), whose lifelong dedication to traditional weather observation continues to inspire this community.

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David King dedicated more than fifty years of his life to understanding the natural world, weather lore, and ancient observation — transforming knowledge passed down through generations into a forecasting method of remarkable precision and depth. 

David’s passion for weather began not in a laboratory or a university, but on the streets of South London, where he served with the Metropolitan Police for 25 years. In the course of his duty, he learned to anticipate weather conditions not just for safety and preparedness, but with genuine fascination. It was during this time that an ex-RAF flight engineer encouraged him to explore celestial navigation — teaching him to read the skies, the stars, and the moon. 

After relocating to Kent, David deepened his understanding of nature’s language. Through conversations with rural policemen and years of attentive field observation, he learned to decode the signs offered by plants, birds, animals, and seasonal shifts. He began recording these observations in 1958, with meticulous notes dating back to 1966 — an archive of wisdom collected patiently, methodically, and with great integrity. 

Despite his extraordinary expertise, David always called himself a “keen amateur” — a humble reminder that curiosity, respect for nature, and patient observation can yield wisdom far beyond what is taught in textbooks. 

David was not only a forecaster — he was a teacher. Through both Weather Without Technology and the Indigenous UK Weather platform, he shared his methodology so others could learn to interpret the natural world for themselves. His work empowers people to predict growing seasons up to 90 days in advance, and identify major weather trends up to 180 days ahead with remarkable accuracy. 

He maintained a meticulously calibrated Stephenson Screen station in his garden, complete with certified instruments, wet and dry thermometers, Tinytag data recorders, sun recorders and an automated Davis VP2 weather station — all feeding into his reliable, independent datasets. 

David’s legacy lives on not just in his forecasts or his data, but in the stories and eyes of all who learned from him — the thousands who found delight in nature’s clues, the families inspired to explore outdoors, and the community who embraced his work with warmth and curiosity. 

He loved people, he loved connection, and he loved this land. Many have said he would be quietly chuffed to see the community that has gathered around his work. 

We honour David King not only for his knowledge, but for the way he gifted that knowledge — with humility, wonder, and the belief that nature speaks to all who are willing to listen.

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Media & Appearances:

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David’s wisdom was shared widely through TV and radio, including features on ITV, BBC Sound, KMTV, Radio Wimborne and more, some of which can be found below. 

Books & Publications:

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David authored books that taught his method to readers around the world — available through our shop as part of his lasting contribution. 

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David's wisdom lives on in every forecast we share, every clue observed in nature, and every walk taken with curiosity. We honour him not just for what he taught us, but for the way he taught us to see. 

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