Hampton Park resident Dennis Luke is a long-range weather forecaster and has predicted rain for local footy finals.By Glen Atwell
FOOTY finals will be a wet and windy affair if the predictions of long-range weather forecaster and Hampton Park resident Dennis Luke are accurate.
And as Dennis is quick to point out, “they usually are”.
Dennis provides AFL side Western Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm with crucial weather forecasts and his stormy crystal ball may be the difference between winning and losing come September.
According to Dennis’ predictions, AFL and local football fans can expect above average rainfall across all of Melbourne in September, conditions that have not been seen in more than 10 years.
V8 Supercars supporters and spring racing fans can also expect wet weather.
“There is about a 90 per cent chance that the Phillip Island races, held between 12-14 September, will be running in wet conditions,” Dennis said.
“When Melbourne Cup week arrives in November, there is a high possibility, more than 80 per cent, that there will be rainfall on any or all of the feature race days.”
“We’ll also see some unexpected storms during November.”
Dennis boasts a 90 per cent accuracy rate, yet his weather prediction methods remain a secret.
“I have Asperger syndrome, it is a form of autism and it allows me to identify patterns in the environment,” he said.
People with Asperger syndrome often pursue specific and narrow areas of interest, such as memorising car number plates or bus routes.
Dennis plans to invite Casey councillor and Justice of the Peace Wayne Smith into his house to verify his weather prediction methods.
“I’m going to get Wayne to sign a statutory declaration indicating that my methods are genuine,” he said.
“This will silence some of the people who think it is rubbish.” In recent months, Dennis has accurately predicted weather for the Tour de France and the Beijing Olympics.
