Residents of the Soleil neighborhood at Laurel Canyon in Canton have found their own trusted source for weather information.

Wendell Abernathy operates a Web site at www.soleilweather.com devoted to tracking the area's weather.

Bob Cherri, who lives in Soleil, is one of the many residents who now gets his weather information from Abernathy's site.

"I literally look at it every day," he said. Cherri described the site as "invaluable" and it has even been referenced by WGCL TV station in Atlanta during weather reports.

Soleil resident Janet Wellborn said the community refers to Abernathy as the local weatherman, adding he always is willing to share information.

"We depend on it," she said about the site, which provides information such as the local high and low temperature for the day, information on wind and rain, humidity, UV index, solar radiation and the outlook.

A 58-year-old retired pharmacist, Abernathy has a weather instrument on his roof that collects data such as temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity, barometric pressure and the UV and solar index. The information is uploaded onto a computer, where all the work takes place.

"There was a great deal of work getting it up and running. Once it was up and running, it takes care of itself," Abernathy said about the work that goes into the site. "I don't forecast the weather. I just report it."

The site began just as a hobby, but expanded once he found other sites online much like the one he created.

"I have always enjoyed anything scientific, and weather has always fascinated me," said Abernathy, who works part-time at Northside Pharmacy.

He said he long had wanted to get into the hobby, but the equipment was too expensive. He was able to start when prices dropped in the last few years.

"I do it just as a community service," Abernathy said of his site. "It has been well-received."

When not spending time on the weather, Abernathy is busy with other hobbies, such as making pens and wood carving. He and his wife, Kay, have two children and two grandchildren and attend Waleska United Methodist Church.

While Abernathy tries not to make a big deal about the service he is providing his neighbors, he is pleased to see his work has fans.

"I find it interesting how many people tell me that it is their home page. It is not even my home page," he said. "People tell me that it is the first thing they do every day."

The site has reached almost 20,000 unique visitors and has received as many as 60,000 hits during a week of bad weather.

The popularity of the site has made him conscious of keeping it running at all times and quickly restoring it after power outages.

"I do feel like a lot of people are depending on it," he said.