What Weatherquest does

Weatherquest Limited is a UK-based private weather forecasting and analytics firm founded in 2001 and headquartered at the University of East Anglia's Enterprise Centre in Norwich. It provides site-specific operational weather services to enterprise clients in weather-sensitive verticals, with primary focus on ports and marine (PortQuest), offshore wind energy (WindQuest), winter gritting (IceQuest), agriculture and viticulture (AgriQuest, VineBuddy), water utilities (WaterQuest), events (EventQuest), and media. Its customer base includes the Port of Felixstowe (handling approximately 50% of UK containerised trade), Ocean Winds, Baltic Hub in Poland, RWE, Scottish Power Renewables, Siemens-Gamesa, and Severn Trent Water.

The technical core is a multi-source forecast pipeline that ingests model data from the UK Met Office, ECMWF, NOAA, and Met Éireann and supplements it with proprietary in-house high-resolution numerical weather prediction models. Machine-learning calibration, drawing on statistical relationships built from historical observations and real-time client sensor data, is applied to tailor raw forecast output to specific sites; a team of Royal Meteorological Society-accredited meteorologists (RMet and CMet) provides 24/7 duty-forecaster support for critical operational decisions. Delivery is via industry-specific web portals, API/WMS/SOAP/SFTP data feeds in JSON, real-time lightning monitoring through a partnership with Meteorage, and bespoke consultancy and training services.

WeatherQuest's commercial model is a mix of recurring portal subscriptions and multi-year enterprise contracts, usage-based API/data feeds, a usage-based premium-rate telephone forecast hotline (£1.55/min), and professional services for training and bespoke consultancy. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales into named anchor clients with co-designed portals, supplemented by a university-tied research community channel (UEA, RMetS East Anglia Centre), sector trade shows, and a content marketing programme. The firm holds ISO 9001/14001/45001/45003 certifications, F4OR offshore-renewables status, and a 25-year operating history with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Weatherquest

Legal name

Weatherquest Limited

Website

https://weatherquest.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Weatherquest is a UK-based private weather forecasting firm founded in 2001, providing site-specific operational forecasts and analytics to enterprise clients in ports, offshore wind, winter gritting, agriculture, viticulture, utilities, and media via industry-specific portals, APIs, and duty-meteorologist support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meteorological Forecasting Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

akta.pro primary industry

Early Warning, Event Monitoring & Forecasting (Extreme Weather Alerts, Nowcasting) (EUABALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Hazard & Catastrophe Modeling (Flood, Wind, Wildfire, Heat, Sea-Level Rise) (EUABALAA), Downscaled Climate Projections & Scenario Analytics (CMIP, SSP/RCP, Regionalization) (EUABALAB), Climate & GHG/Emissions Modeling & Scenario Analysis (Inventories, Projections, Net-Zero Pathways) (EUAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Weather forecasting services
• Marine weather forecasting
• Offshore wind forecasting
• Agricultural weather services
• Meteorological consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Online Portal Subscriptions: Subscription-based access to proprietary weather portals (PortQuest, WindQuest, IceQuest, etc.) providing forecasts, warnings, and data dashboards. Revenue generated through annual or multi-year contracts with enterprise clients.
2. API and Data Feeds: Secure data feeds delivered via API, WMS, SOAP/WSDL, SFTP or SCP for integration into client management and decision-support systems.
3. Premium Rate Forecast Hotline: Phone-based forecast service charged at £1.55 per minute plus network charges. Available 6am-5:30pm daily for consumers and businesses seeking personalised weather advice.
4. Training Services: Professional meteorological training for clients including lightning risk assessment, weather interpretation, and sector-specific applications. Conducted in-person, virtually, or at client locations.
5. Consultancy Services: One-to-one bespoke weather consultancy including legal case support, in-depth weather event analysis, and historical data interpretation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

WeatherQuest provides tailored, site-specific weather forecasting and meteorological analysis to industrial and commercial clients across multiple sectors. Its core offering combines proprietary in-house high-resolution numerical weather prediction models with data ingested from the UK Met Office, ECMWF, NOAA, and Met Éireann, refined by machine learning algorithms calibrated against client-supplied historical and real-time observations. Services are delivered through dedicated industry web portals, secure API/data feeds, 24/7 duty forecaster support, consultancy, training, and climate services.

Product overview

WeatherQuest is a meteorological services company headquartered at the University of East Anglia offering a portfolio of industry-specific weather forecasting and analytics products. The core offering centres on Weather Forecasting (ingesting global model data supplemented by in-house high-resolution models with machine learning calibration), supported by Data and Analytics (API and data feed delivery), Training, Consultancy, Climate Services, and R&D. Industry-specific sub-brands include WindQuest (offshore wind energy), PortQuest (ports and marine), IceQuest (winter gritting), AgriQuest (agriculture), EventQuest (events), WaterQuest (water utilities), and VineBuddy (viticulture frost forecasting). Ancillary services include a Premium Rate Line (telephone hotline) and WQRadar (public/commercial radar observations). The company has been operating for over 25 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WindQuest: Online weather portal and forecast service for wind energy sector, supporting construction and operations & maintenance of wind farms
• PortQuest
• AgriQuest
• IceQuest
• WaterQuest
• EventQuest
• BuildQuest
• WQRadar
• VineBuddy
• Smarter Forecasting for Vineyards

Products and services

• Weather Forecasting Core forecasting service ingesting data from UK Met Office, ECMWF, NOAA, and Met Éireann supplemented by in-house high-resolution models, with machine learning calibration and 24/7 duty forecaster support for critical operational decisions. Targeted at enterprise clients in weather-sensitive industries.
• Data and Analytics Data integration service providing real-time weather feeds via secure API, WMS layers, SOAP/WSDL, SFTP or SCP. Delivers forecast, live, and historical weather information for integration into client management and decision-support systems, including marine and water industry platforms.
• WindQuest Online weather portal, PDF forecast delivery, and control management system for offshore wind farm construction and O&M. Provides hourly site-specific forecasts up to 7 days, probability forecasts out to 10 days, real-time lightning warnings via Meteorage partnership, and monthly verification reports.
• PortQuest Custom-designed online portal for port and marine operations delivering hourly site-specific forecasts up to 7 days, probability forecasts to a month ahead, multi-channel weather warnings (portal/SMS/email/phone), and real-time lightning monitoring via Meteorage partnership for precise coordinates including pilot pick-up points.
• IceQuest Winter gritting forecasting service identifying when action is needed to mitigate icy surface risks. Includes colour-coded site alerts, hourly air/road/grass temperature forecasts for 48 hours, precipitation-type radar updated every 5 minutes, gritting location management, PDF reports, and JSON API access for 24/7 data ingestion.
• Climate Services Climate change impact assessment service using past and present measurement data, future climate projections, statistical analyses, and GIS computer visualization, tailored to each client's specific needs for locations, variables, and periods of interest to support adaptation and risk mitigation decisions.
• Consultancy One-to-one weather consultancy providing bespoke solutions for legal cases, research questions, risk management, and strategic decision-making, leveraging historical weather data and meteorological insight to support clients in understanding weather impacts.
• Training Meteorology training service including accessing and interpreting weather services, weather-related risks, and forecasting science. Delivered through interactive presentations, hands-on training, and 1-to-1 coaching at client locations, UEA headquarters, or virtually, with specialist programmes for marine coordinators, offshore engineers, pilots, and lightning risk assessment.
• Premium Rate Line Telephone forecast hotline (09065 77 76 75) staffed by experienced meteorologists daily from 6:00am to 5:30pm, providing answers to weather-dependent questions for event planning, historical weather data for insurance/legal purposes, and spray window assessments.
• Research and Development R&D service leveraging Innovate-UK funded projects and University of East Anglia research partnerships, with focus areas including fog forecasting (with Met Office), lightning climatology, viticulture climate projections, and strawberry yield prediction, delivered by team members holding joint UEA roles.
• VineBuddy Site-specific frost forecasting WebApp for vineyard managers providing 48-hour ahead frost forecasts including radiation vs. advection frost differentiation, 30-day temperature history, GDD budburst threshold monitoring, WhatsApp frost alerts, and integration with in-field vineyard sensors.
• WQRadar Observations platform providing rainfall radar imagery with real-time lightning detection overlay, updated every 5 minutes and covering the British Isles. Available via subscription and embedded in client service portals for continuous weather and precipitation monitoring.
• WQRadar.biz Commercial-grade radar observations platform for business clients requiring enhanced radar data and features beyond the standard WQRadar offering.
• AgriQuest Agricultural sector weather service supporting farming operations with weather-informed decision-making for crop management, harvest planning, and frost risk mitigation.
• EventQuest Weather forecasting service tailored for event organizers to manage weather-dependent activities and outdoor events safely.
• WaterQuest Water sector weather service supporting utility and water management operations with weather-informed decision-making.
• Media Weather Services Broadcast and media weather service providing live TV/radio contributions, pre-recorded in-vision explainers, written national and regional newspaper weather panels, and teleconference briefings for media teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Helped Ocean Winds limit weather-caused downtime during Moray West construction, staying on track with project aims
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MeteoragecoreTechnology or IntegrationGlobal lightning detection specialist partnership providing real-time monitoring and alerts to WeatherQuest clients. Meteorologists proactively monitor and call operational teams when lightning risk exceeds safety limits.
• AccuGritcoreTechnology or IntegrationWinter gritting service partner co-designing IceQuest features. AccuGrit integrates IceQuest as a core feature of their operational gritting service.
• Grounds Care GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationWinter gritting partner co-designing IceQuest service features for gritting location management and weather forecasting.
• Severn Trent WatercoreTechnology or IntegrationWater utility partner using IceQuest for winter weather forecasting supporting operational decisions.
• ABP (Associated British Ports)coreTechnology or IntegrationPort operator partner co-designing IceQuest features and using weather forecasting services for port operations.
• East Coast CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partnership with East Coast College, Lowestoft, UK, to design bespoke training packages for marine coordinators, offshore engineers and marine pilots through their East Coast Energy Training Academy.
• Met OfficecoreTechnology or IntegrationUK meteorological office providing forecast data and collaborating on fog research through Weather and Climate Science for Services Partnership (WCSSP-India) programme.
• ECMWFcoreTechnology or IntegrationEuropean Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting providing ensemble forecast data for WeatherQuest services.
• NOAAcoreTechnology or IntegrationNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration providing forecast data and observations to WeatherQuest.
• Met ÉireanncoreTechnology or IntegrationIrish meteorological service providing forecast data for WeatherQuest operations.
• TerraPrimacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Innovate UK and Defra funded frost protection project for vineyards worth over £300,000. TerraPrima installing sensors across partner vineyards.
• Agri-Epi CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgricultural engineering innovation centre partner in frost protection project for vineyards.
• Plumpton CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist land-based college partner in vineyard frost protection project.
• VinescapescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWine industry consultancy partner in frost protection project. Promoting VineBuddy service at Vineyards Show and hosting sign-up form.
• VinewatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVineyard monitoring technology partner in frost forecasting project.
• WineGBcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWineGB trade body partner in frost protection project for UK viticulture sector.
• University of East Anglia (UEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeatherQuest headquartered at UEA with staff having joint research and teaching roles. Provides access to R&D seminars, student talent pipeline, and world-leading climate research.
• Offshore Renewable Energy CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in F4OR programme supporting WeatherQuest's development of services for offshore renewable industry.
• Opergy Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnergy sector consultancy partner supporting WeatherQuest through F4OR programme for offshore wind services.
• New Anglia Local Enterprise PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional LEP providing F4OR funding and support for local businesses in Norfolk/Suffolk region.
• VinescapescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing partner promoting VineBuddy frost forecasting service at Vineyard Show and hosting sign-up forms on their website.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• StormGeo (Alden Green): StormGeo provides route-based weather forecasting, metocean services, and offshore wind decision support. Directly comparable to WeatherQuest in marine and offshore wind verticals with similar co-designed forecasting products and a global enterprise customer base.
• JBA Consulting: JBA provides flood risk modelling, climate analytics, and environmental consulting, with overlap to WeatherQuest's Climate Services product line. Serves infrastructure, insurance, and government clients with comparable data-science-led approaches to climate risk.
• BMT Group: BMT provides metocean and weather forecasting services to ports, offshore wind, and maritime operators. Direct overlap with WeatherQuest's PortQuest and WindQuest offerings, often competing for the same offshore wind tender opportunities.
• KISTERS: KISTERS provides hydrological, meteorological, and environmental data management platforms used by utilities, water authorities, and ports in Europe. Comparable to WeatherQuest's WaterQuest and IceQuest products in adjacent water and winter-conditions monitoring segments.

Broad incumbents

• DTN (formerly MeteoGroup): DTN acquired MeteoGroup, the European commercial weather business that was the most direct competitor to WeatherQuest in European ports, media, and offshore sectors. Operates at much larger scale across agriculture, energy, transportation, and broadcast media globally.
• Fugro: Fugro is a major geodata and offshore services firm offering metocean monitoring and forecasting for offshore wind site characterisation and operations. Larger and more diversified but competes for the same offshore wind forecasting budget as WindQuest.
• Met Office (UK commercial services): The UK national meteorological service offers commercial forecasting services to transport, energy, and government clients. A core data partner of WeatherQuest but also a competitor in commercial forecasting, with broader reach and government backing.
• IBM Environmental Intelligence Suite: IBM's commercial weather and climate risk platform serves energy, utilities, and insurance clients globally. A much broader incumbent offering both raw data and analytic layers, competing for enterprise weather-data RFPs that WeatherQuest's API services also target.

Emerging players

• OpenWeather: OpenWeather offers weather data APIs and historical datasets globally at low price points. While not a direct competitor in bespoke enterprise forecasting, it represents a price-floor threat to WeatherQuest's API and data feed revenue stream, particularly for self-serve enterprise clients.
• Tomorrow.io: Tomorrow.io is a venture-backed weather intelligence platform offering hyper-local forecasting and APIs to enterprise and aviation. Competes with WeatherQuest's API/data feed business using a more software-led, self-service model rather than bespoke meteorologist service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/weatherquest_uk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC24hdUhHlDRxbkPzVSHQbJA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Weatherquest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weatherquest-ltd

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Weatherquest