Clacton Pier in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, has joined a group of more than 80 outdoor attractions across the country calling for changes to how weather apps show rain in 2026. The group wants the icons used on phone screens to be more accurate so that people are not discouraged from visiting the coast.
Current apps often use a single rain-cloud picture to cover a full 24-hour period. Campaigners argue that this creates the false impression that a whole day is a washout, even if the rain only lasts for a short time and the rest of the day is dry.
Billy Ball, the director of Clacton Pier, said that these misleading forecasts can cause visitor numbers to drop by 30 per cent or more. This loss in visitors causes significant financial harm to the local tourism and leisure industry because people often cancel trips based on the app icons.
The campaign is led by Chester Zoo and is asking for a meeting with the Met Office and the government to discuss the issue. They want apps to show more specific details, such as splitting forecasts into day and night or showing the ratio of dry-to-wet hours.
Businesses in the group are not questioning the weather data itself, but rather how it is presented to the public. They believe that using clearer written summaries and pictures will help people make better decisions about their trips to the seaside.
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