Met Office responds to visitor attraction concerns about weather app

The Met Office says it has taken on board criticism of how its app summarises daily weather conditions, after concerns were raised that headline reports of rain have a negative impact on visitor figures at museums and other attractions.

Research shows that about 70% of people check the forecast before making plans, suggesting that the predicted weather has a significant influence on decision making.

An open letter signed earlier this year by visitor attractions, including museum and heritage sites such as the Black Country Living Museum and Castle Howard, expressed concern that many weather apps, including the Met Office’s, summarise a 24-hour period with a single icon – meaning that “brief overnight rain can dominate the forecast and create the impression of a wet day if the user only glances at the top-line symbol”.

While the prospect of rain may benefit indoor attractions, seasonal and outdoor venues report that attendance drops by as much as 30% after a negative weather forecast, regardless of whether opening hours remain dry or not.

The letter’s signatories said “a single raincloud icon can cost thousands of pounds in lost revenue – some predictions as high as £137,000 a day”.

The Met Office weather app uses an hourly weighted system to create single symbols for the day.

Daytime hours (between 6am and 6pm) are double weighted, giving a total of 36 slots – if there is a 50% chance or more of rain for 13 of the 36 slots, then the app will display a rain symbol. Hourly updates knock off the hours that have passed so the symbols are continually refined during the day.

As well as the single symbols, users of the app can see an hourly breakdown of the weather to better understand when rain might be coming their way and plan their day accordingly, as well as detailed information about humidity, wind speed, air pollution and temperature.  

Grahame Madgek, the Met Office’s climate science communicator and senior press officer, said it is looking at how it can support users to interpret the information shared by its app.

“We want our app to be as enabling as possible, and we’d urge users to check the hourly symbols and make the most of the features within the app,” Madgek told Museums Journal.

“The weather is complicated, and trying to distil it into simple symbols is a challenge that all weather apps face, which is why we also provide layered information to allow people to find out more.”

The Met Office has now met with some of the people behind the letter, which was spearheaded by Chester Zoo and the marketing agency Navigate.

Practical improvements on the table included separate daytime and overnight weather icons, clearer written summaries and percentage bars showing expected dry hours.

“We have had dialogue and a meeting [with the letter’s signatories] and we will take their points on board, and balancing those points against the needs of other sectors is now a matter for internal debate,” Madgek added.  

The letter was signed by three of the UK’s leading visitor attraction sector support bodies – the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva), the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions and the Welsh Association of Visitor Attractions.

In a LinkedIn post, the Association for Cultural Enterprises said: “Our Commercial Performance Barometer blogs have consistently highlighted the influence of weather perception on audience decision-making, dwell time and secondary spend.

“Clearer, more representative forecasting has the potential to support more informed visitor choices and more stable trading conditions for members, whatever their type, size or location.”

Some of the letters signatories include:

Rhiannon Hiles, chief executive officer, Beamish, The Living Museum of the North

David Middlemiss, deputy chief executive, Black Country Living Museum

David Green, head of innovation, Blenheim Palace

Abbi Ollive, visitor attraction director, Castle Howard

Rachel Crewes, chief executive officer, Harewood House

Rebecca Foy, executive director, Bletchley Park

Phil Hackett, general manager, King Richard III Visitor Centre