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Weather apps are misleading you about the forecast
Misleading weather app icons are affecting major attractions like zoos. Rain icons on apps can imply all-day rain, impacting visitor numbers. Weather apps are valuable for current conditions like temperature and humidity. However, they often lack accuracy in forecasting due to reliance on computer models, which have inherent limitations.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Misleading weather app icons are causing financial headaches for major attractions, like zoos, because people are canceling plans based on a single icon.
Weather app inaccuracies
What we know:
Zoos in the United Kingdom say misleading rain icons on weather apps can cost venues up to $183,000 a day, according to the BBC. These apps often summarize a 24-hour period with a single icon, leading families to cancel plans based on an incorrect assumption of all-day rain.
The backstory:
Research suggests about 70% of people check weather forecasts before going out, and attendance at attractions can drop by up to 30% following an unfavorable forecast.
Zoos push for change
Why you should care:
The group behind the zoos understands that forecasts aren't perfect but wants weather information to be presented more specifically. They are considering legal action if these changes are not implemented.
What's next:
The zoos are leading a push on behalf of outdoor attractions to address these issues and are exploring legal options to ensure more accurate weather representations.
What we don't know:
It remains unclear what specific legal actions the zoos might take if weather app companies do not make changes.
Weather app limitations
Dig deeper:
Weather apps are a great resource to get quick basic weather information. They are far more valuable to get current information. That would include current conditions like temperature, humidity, and where precipitation is, which is obviously important during inclement weather like strong storms and tornadoes.
RELATED: Why the forecast on your weather app changes so often
But where weather apps lack accuracy is for a forecast, which is what many of us use them for.
There aren't enough meteorologists in the world to be able to forecast every single point on the globe all the time. So, to compensate for that, app developers use computer model data to directly funnel information into their code. Then the app uses your GPS location to come up with the forecast based on the computer model predictions. But all computer models are flawed to some extent. They use thousands of variables and trillions of calculations to develop a forecast.
But at the end of the day, it's still just a computer with many limitations and can only calculate the information it has, no matter how accurate the information it receives. There can be hiccups in the code, or errors in data, and a host of other factors that the computer can't reconcile.
This can lead to outlandish forecasts that may seem like it's in the realm of something possible, but a trained human can quickly dismiss this solution because it breaks the basic rules of atmospheric science. The meteorologist can then just ignore that data as they put together their forecast and any viewer is none the wiser.
So why could this inquiry be a big deal? Well, money talks. Imagine if your bank account lost $10 every so often because they had an error in their software? Would you just ignore it and just take the loss? Probably not. You would expect them to fix it and refund your money. This is what some outdoor establishments could argue... and I'm surprised it hasn't happened already. We'll see what this brings moving forward.