Will it rain or snow? A 12-year-old boy from Cape Breton seems to have the answer.

Greg Hanna is making a name for himself as a weather forecaster. In fact, he predicted days ago that he would be off school Thursday because of a storm.

Greg Hanna is known as "the Weatherman" to his classmates.
(CBC)

Instead of playing in the snow, Hanna prefers to measure it.

"Cape Breton weather, it can change in a matter of hours," said Hanna, a ruler in hand. "Last week it was –20 [C] and then it was plus 3."

The aspiring meteorologist has been predicting the weather since he was eight, when he became fascinated by a severe winter storm.

He learned about weather patterns and storm systems, and now sits at his computer several times a day, reading charts and checking maps.

Hanna provides weather updates to his family and Grade 7 classmates at Whitney Pier Memorial Junior High School, who have dubbed him "the Weatherman."

Hanna has also become a regular contributor to the Weather Network and CBC Radio's morning show in Cape Breton, where he said listeners could expect up to 15 centimetres of snow and about five to 10 millimetres of ice and rain on Thursday.

That was three times the snow Environment Canada had predicted, but in the end, Hanna was right.

So far, his forecast of becoming a TV meteorologist looks good.

"I think it's great. I mean, my career is already unfolding," Hanna said.