Tracy Jett lives on North Whidbey in a wooded area notorious for downed power lines.

Before the last windy wailer, she bypassed the TV news and instead went online to a site that’s becoming the go-to place for locals who want timely, accurate weather information.

The forecast was spot on, she said.

“I was able to plan accordingly and prepare for a quiet evening in candlelight,” she said.

THE SITE is a public Facebook page called North Whidbey Island Weather. It was started two years ago by William Ingram of Oak Harbor, a self-described “weather geek” who worked for the Navy as an aviation electronics technician.

Find the page at www.facebook.com/groups/NorthWhidbeyIsland Weather.

Ingram, 40, is not formally educated as a meteorologist. Until recently, he didn’t have a college education. He has been obsessed with meteorology since age 10, when his father gave him a weather radio that broadcast National Weather Service forecasts on an AM frequency.

If he’s outside, he’s probably craning his neck up to stare at the clouds.

“I’m completely self taught,” he said. “If I see something I don’t know, I research it.”

INGRAM SAID he develops his own forecasts by examining computer models that crunch historical weather patterns and current data from airports, buoys and local home weather stations. He consults the National Weather Service and volunteer weather service Wunderground and then adds his own interpretation based on his knowledge of the Oak Harbor area microclimate.

Sometimes he “now-casts,” meaning he describes what he sees on the radar and out the window at that particular moment. He has his own solar-powered weather station at his house, which transmits data to Wunderground.

Ingram avoids what he calls “extreme drama” weather forecasts that ramp up emotion and instead focuses on facts. His posts sometimes delve into a bit of wonky explanation but most of the time he delivers the forecast in conversational, accessible language.

“I love teaching,” he said. “If I can teach how the weather reacts in a certain way — I would love to do that.”

HIS WEATHER followers — as of Monday the page had 763 — say his forecasts are more accurate than any others.

Bianca Bahr of Oak Harbor, a follower of the page, said she deleted the weather apps from her phone soon after joining.

“When they post and say, ‘rain any minute’ and it starts to rain, I call that reliable,” she said.

During the last two whopper windstorms, Bahr said the site predicted nearly down to the moment when the rain would start, when the wind would pick up and when it would all be over.

“It’s rather amazing because the news is always off,” she said. “We all know Seattle to Whidbey weather is never the same.”

INGRAM STARTED the site after some of his out-of-town family and friends grew annoyed with his frequent weather postings on his personal Facebook page.

While he’s pleasantly surprised by the growth of the page, he said he does it because he enjoys it. The page is not commercial, and Ingram said he has no interest in making any money from the venture.

“At the time I created this page, I had about five members, one of whom was my wife Angie,” he said. “I was completely satisfied by that. I thought it was silly for anyone to listen to me babble about the weather.”

The page is public and anyone is welcome to post their own observations, questions or photos, he said.

ABOUT SIX months ago, one of his page’s followers became a major contributor. Jon Pollock, also a hobby meteorologist, stepped in to post reports while Ingram was deployed aboard the USS George Washington.

“We had some windstorms rolling through and due to him being on the carrier, I just stepped up to cover it,” said Pollock, who works for the City of Oak Harbor.

When Ingram returned from deployment, he asked Pollock to continue on. The two frequently consult during major weather events like the last two windstorms earlier this month.

“His forecasts are thoughtful and precise,” Pollock said. “A lot of that has to do with the fact that William does a good job of taking our microclimates into account, which is something that the major broadcast stations don’t have time to do, especially given that they’re typically giving a forecast for all of western Washington.”

WITH KIDS and a busy life, Ingram said he’s glad Pollock can pick up the baton when he’s busy.

“He takes over when I can’t — I can’t stay up 24 hours a day,” Ingram said.

The local weather can be all-consuming for Ingram, who stayed up most of the night during the last windstorm monitoring and posting.

His wife, he said, is very understanding. They have three young children and a baby due any moment.

“She understands I’m a weather geek and that, during a storm, I’m having fun,” he said.

Ingram just separated from the Navy and is planning to earn two master’s degrees — but in organizational leadership and human resources, not meteorology.

So far as he can forecast his own future, Ingram said he plans to stay in Oak Harbor.