Geography and meteorology student Dan Goff, the chief meteorologist at Virginia Tech’s WUVT-FM radio station, has quite a fan following. He has served as a trusted online voice for all weather-related information in the Richmond area on Twitter as “Weather Dan” (@WxDan) for over three years, earning him a job offer in 2010 from RVANews, a Richmond-focused website providing news and entertainment features and a network of community-focused blogs.

“It’s a lot of work and sometimes not a lot of sleep,” commented Goff, “but it’s something I love to do, and it makes me happy to know I’m putting in a lot of energy to help keep other people safe and give them some peace of mind.” He splits his time between working at WUVT-FM and writing for RVANews. “I got my start in Richmond and that’s where most of my 2,100 Twitter followers are,” Goff said, “but I’m building a rather large contingent in the New River Valley as well.”

Goff’s dedication was evident in his timely and accurate coverage of Hurricane Irene in August; he tweeted to Richmond-area residents about what to expect and offered reassurance to those waiting out the storm. In response, Twitter follower Jeb Hoge created a Facebook group called “WXDAN Appreciation Society.” Other thankful followers took up the call, passing around a virtual hat and contributing over $1,000 to Dan via PayPal! “Dan does something nice for the entire Virginia online community every day,” said supporter Nick Dawson. “Wanting to give a little back was almost reflexive — no hesitation. When I thought about how his [Hurricane Irene] coverage had touched us personally and professionally, it was a no-brainer.”

“When I found out about the collection, to say I was absolutely floored would be an understatement,” said Goff. “I was on the bus heading to work as I read one of the letters online, and it was all I could do to avoid making it obvious that I was tearing up. I spent the next two hours going through the Facebook group and reading every single comment.”

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