The BBC’s weather app selects the gloomiest forecast when choosing symbols for the day, it has been revealed.
Meteorologists at the corporation have confirmed they pick the symbol that summarises the day’s weather based on the dreariest part of the forecast.
The BBC, which updates its forecasts every hour, said: “The day symbol reflects the weather conditions likely to have the greatest impact on people’s lives.”
It told The Sunday Times that while this may place emphasis on a “short, specific spell of weather”, it is designed to be “read in context with the broader picture and hour-by-hour detail, which changes according to the latest data”.
Until 2016, the Met Office provided forecasting for the BBC. MeteoGroup, the largest private-sector weather company in Europe, now has the contract.
The Met Office has a different approach for selecting symbols to coincide with the weather. It told the paper: “Symbols on [our] forecasts online and on our app are the result of a blend of different forecast models to give the most accurate symbol of the weather possible.”
Above average rainfall
It comes as the Met Office said March received “above average” rainfall across the UK, with parts of the South West and West Midlands receiving the highest totals.
It cautioned that it was “unlikely” the UK rainfall totals for March 2024 will exceed the total of 132 millimetres (5 inches) of rainfall recorded in March the year before.
This is despite Easter weekend having proven to be a wash out, with the Environment Agency having issued 132 flood alerts across southern England for the weekend.
A band of heavy rain is set to move across the UK on Monday.
Frustration for businesses
Gill Haigh, the managing director of Cumbria Tourism, told The Sunday Times the weather symbol on the BBC forecast could interfere with business.
“Businesses can be frustrated when the headline symbol looks like it’s going to rain while they’re waiting in good weather to welcome customers and people aren’t coming because the weather symbol has indicated a more pessimistic picture than the reality,” she said.
“If it’s OK between 10am and 3pm, which is the time most people will be visiting, but raining throughout the night, that really isn’t going to be a concern for a visitor. So it’s really important that the weather forecast is not only accurate, but it’s a true reflection.”
The BBC emphasised that the selection of the day’s image does not affect the accuracy of its forecasting.
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