Apple’s official Weather app for iOS gave everyone in Sydney a bit of a shock this morning. Instead of telling people that the city’s run of extreme wind, rain and thunderstorms would continue, it predicted snow. Here’s why that happened.
Users who woke up to check their forecast this morning were greeted with the odd message on their iOS Weather app that there would be “Mixed Snow and Sleet” in Sydney.
Social media users were more than a little confused by the warning.
Someone tell the storm that it snow isn’t a thing in Sydney.
#SydneyStorm #worldonitshead pic.twitter.com/ogp7ehdHiI— Dalton Fogarty (@DaltyF) April 21, 2015
The weather app is showing snow in Sydney for what *has* to be the first time ever. Check your phone! #SydneyStorm pic.twitter.com/QZLOa74ExT
— Rémy Numa (@remynuma) April 21, 2015
Wow apparently mixed snow and sleet today in sydney – close enough Siri #SydneyStorm pic.twitter.com/Z7xmsk4Jpm
— Greg Dwyer (@gregdwyer) April 21, 2015
#Sydney #weather forecast for today is “mixed snow and sleet”. Nice. pic.twitter.com/srNvVsGlnv
— Troy Bramston (@TroyBramston) April 21, 2015
We suspect the error came from bad data from the UK Weather Channel feed used by the iOS Weather app. We’ve reached out to Apple to confirm. The error was quickly fixed, and now Sydney’s forecast is for more thunderstorms and rain.
Sydney, the NSW Central Coast and Newcastle have all been lashed by wild weather over the last few days which shows no sign of letting up in the next 24 hours.
Sydney’s Bondi Beach is migrating onto land, a cruise ship is stuck off the coast being lashed by the winds and three people have tragically died following flash flooding in Dungog.
NSW Premier Mike Baird as well as the state’s transport minister advised commuters to stay off the roads if possible and to only travel if it was absolutely necessary. Bosses have been urged to send staff home before dark for safer transit, and people are being urged to work from home if possible.
The forecast was weird, but the weather is actually dangerous. Work from home if you can and stay safe. Don’t enter floodwaters and don’t take unnecessary risks.