NBC Connecticut Meteorologist Darren Sweeney delivers Connecticut's most accurate forecast every weekend morning on NBC Connecticut. He also enjoys covering breaking weather during the week live in the studio and in the field.
Darren joined the StormTracker team in October 2008 and has the recognition from the American Meteorological Society (AMS) with their seal of approval, as well as the National Weather Association (NWA) along with their seal of approval.
A Connecticut native, born and raised in West Hartford, Darren is happy to be forecasting for the station he grew up driving by and watching almost every day.
Darren's fascination with weather began at a young age through all of New England's wild weather extremes. His family knew he was captivated by storms because when everyone was going inside to take shelter, Darren would grab a video camera and go outdoors!
Darren has experience with forecasting New England weather. As a meteorologist for a Springfield TV station, Darren won two Associated Press awards for coverage of historic flooding in October 2005 and for Best Weathercast in 2006. He also reported live during severe weather events, most recently the massive flooding that took place along the Merrimack River in May 2006. More recently, he was honored with a “Breaking news” award by the Connecticut Society for Professional Journalists for his coverage of the 2009 EF-1 Wethersfield tornado.
Before returning to New England, Darren gained experience forecasting severe weather and chasing hurricanes for WFTX-TV in Fort Myers, Fla., where in a couple of instances, he was deployed to New Orleans to help sister stations cover Tropical Storm “Isidore” and Hurricane “Lilly” in 2002.
During his tenure at NBC CONNECTICUT, Darren has covered some of the biggest storms of his career. He was a part of the team that forecasted during Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Irene as well as many tornado touchdowns.
Darren earned his Bachelor's degree from Central Connecticut State University and went on to earn his Master's degree at Syracuse University's highly regarded Newhouse School of Communication. In 2003, he graduated from Mississippi State University's Broadcast Meteorology program.
During his spare time, you'll find Darren on one of his famous road trips exploring beautiful New England (especially during the summer). Darren is also proud to be a tenured Associate Professor at his alma mater at CCSU teaching in the Department of Journalism. He enjoys mentoring students who are looking to get into the exciting field of journalism and broadcast journalism. He serves on the board of the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists. Darren volunteers his time at many events raising money and awareness for different types of cancer research. You will also often find Darren involved with helping homeless animals finding good homes. His motto is “Adopt Don’t Shop.”
The Latest
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Warm and dry weather continues, changes expected by midweek
The warm and dry weather pattern that has been in place for most of September continues into the new workweek. The average high temperature at Windsor Locks is 76 degrees and we’ll be well above the average both today and tomorrow. High pressure will bring lots of sunshine through the day today. Some wildfire smoke will blend with the sunshine…
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Sunshine and warm temps to end the weekend, start the week
The warm and dry stretch of weather continues through Sunday. Yesterday’s high temperature at Windsor Locks made it up to an impressive 88 degrees. A wind shift to the northeast Sunday means that temperatures will not be quite as warm as yesterday, but still well above the average of 76 degrees. The warmth is expected to continue through Monday with…
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Warmer than normal temperatures continue into the weekend
High temperatures away from the shoreline have been running well above average and that warmth continues into the weekend. Friday’s high temperatures were nearly eight degrees above the average of 77 degrees in the Hartford area. Today will be no exception to the warmth. In fact, it might be a degree or two warmer than Friday. While Sunday will not…
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Sunshine and warming temperatures for this week
A stretch of warm and dry weather is expected for this week. A large area of high pressure will build into the region, providing days of sunshine and temperatures that will become very warm by the end of the week. After a cool start today, expect highs to warm into the middle to upper 70s. By tomorrow, temperatures will climb…
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Sunny and cooler weather to start the new week
A cold front moved through Saturday bringing clouds and showers. On the backside of the the front, high pressure has provided a sunny end to the weekend. A cool night can be expected Sunday night with clear skies and a calm wind. Many towns will dip into the 40s away from the shoreline. Another quiet, comfortable but slightly warmer day…
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Showers move out, bringing in better weather to end the weekend
A cold front moved through the state Saturday evening, bringing a brief spell of heavy rain. A second round of rain was possible Saturday night, but skies were expected to clear and bring in better weather. Sunshine is expected to return on Sunday with highs close to 70 degrees.
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Tracking showers for parts of Labor Day weekend
While a washout is not expected, a cold front will approach the northeast Saturday night into Sunday, bringing clouds and the chance of showers. By tonight, clouds increase with a rising chance of showers. There could be an isolated thunderstorm. The shower chance will linger into Sunday morning with mostly cloudy skies. Through the day on Sunday, some clearing is…
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Sunshine and seasonable temperatures continue, thunderstorms likely Monday
We have sunny, warm and comfortable weather on tap to end the weekend. While most towns will remain rain free, there is the chance of a pop-up shower heading into this afternoon/evening. Any shower that passes through will be brief. High temperatures will be a bit above average for this time of the year. The average high is 82 degrees…
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Sunshine and warm temperatures continue into the weekend
The quiet and comfortable weather pattern we’ve been enjoying will continue into the weekend. Lots of sunshine, warm temperatures and low humidity can be expected for any outdoor plans you may have. A weak disturbance passing through the northeast tomorrow may help to produce an isolated shower or storm. Most towns will remain dry with more sunshine and warm...
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Cool temperatures today before summer heat returns
A pattern change has brought a break from the summer heat to the state over the next couple of days. Low temperatures this morning fell into the low 50s and upper 40s for much of the interior. The average low temperature for this time of the year is around 61 degrees. Today will feature high temperatures 10 to 12 degrees…
