Met Office statement as tourist attractions complain about forecasts | Weather | News
The Met Office has responded after 80 entertainment venues joined together to complain about misleading weather symbols which have greatly affected attendance.
Attractions including the Cheshire Zoo-led Eden Project, RHS Gardens, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Blenheim Palace have highlighted how a single rain cloud symbol outlining a 24-hour period can be incredibly damaging to sales, even if much of the day is dry. Some attractions reported attendance dropping by as much as 30% following a negative forecast. “When families see a rain cloud symbol, most stay home. In reality, there may be a brief shower at 6 a.m., but the symbol suggests relief from the rain,” said Dom Strange, Chester Zoo’s Director of Operations.
“The Met Office is the UK’s most trusted weather authority and is in a unique position to pioneer clearer forecasts for other apps to follow.
“With today’s data and technology, there is an opportunity to deliver forecasts that better reflect how the day will actually feel.”
This group questions not the accuracy of the forecasts, but how the information is presented visually, particularly by third-party apps that can display overnight rain as a symbol of all-day rain.
They called for a roundtable with the Met Office, the Government and major weather app developers to explore practical improvements.
These include separate day and night weather icons, clearer written summaries such as “early showers, late rain” and indicators showing the proportion of dry hours expected.
The Met Office said it was working on improvements.
The companies explained that families often make last-minute decisions based on guesswork. Blackpool Pleasure Beach Resort’s marketing, sales and public relations manager, James Cox, said a significant proportion of its bookings came in the 24 hours before any given day because people trusted the weather icon.
“We know very well that in the current economic climate, families view spending their free time outdoors as an investment rather than the discretionary expenditure of old,” he said. “The influence of weather forecasts is therefore particularly intensified for outdoor events.”
Attendance patterns at 50 properties supported by tourism consultancy Navigate were closely tracked against forecasts.
Marketing Director Olly Reed said visits could drop by around 30% on average across a diverse portfolio of heritage sites, gardens, zoos and theme parks when a negative weather symbol appeared.
“Bookings change not just with the weather, but with how the weather is framed. In an industry driven by spontaneity, small design choices in forecast presentation can lead to disproportionate economic consequences.”
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