Updated – 8pm
THE WEATHER IN Ireland can be unpredictable, to say the least.
We can have four seasons in one day and when things turn out not as expected, who gets the brunt of it – Met Éireann, apparently.
Documents released to TheJournal.ie under the Freedom of Information reveals that in the last year over 118 complaints have been made to the forecaster about the weather reports.
Bad weather wrecking peoples’ plans
Some complaints are about Mét Éireann’s forecasts and how they have ruined people’s social events:
Why the hell do you always get the weather forecast so WRONG? Today was promised terrible-wet and windy when really the sun has been shining all day (where I am anyways). The local golf club had even had a major competition scheduled for today and they had it called off during the week due to the bad weather promised – which never came??!!
Another viewer had her summer barbecue ruined. She was relying on the bad weather to have cleared up by the Sunday afternoon, as per the forecast, however, it was a “washout”.
“On Sunday morning we were told that afternoon would clear up and temperatures would rise to 19 degrees… I decided to go ahead with my BBQ on the Sunday afternoon with a dozen friends. Yes, you guessed it. A total washout.”
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We came inside and put on the central heating for an hour. Cheese and ham sandwiches were produced to staff off the hunger of our guests.
The woman said she still had a headache and was “fuming” about the inaccurate weather report.
She also had a go at the clothes worn by some of the presenters, calling it a “fashion show” with “bare arms” on view
Another viewer pretty much cancelled all sporting events for the summer:
Well done (again) Met Éireann. You told us it would be POURING RAIN in the ‘EAST’ today and we’ve barely had a drop.All outdoor activities I had planned were duly postponed until mid-August as a result of your predictions. Could we POSSIBLY have a tailored forecast for the general vicinity of Dublin where AT LEAST half the population lives????I really don’t care what it’s doing in the Faroe Islands or anywhere else for that matter. I know I can Google that and be assured of something more accurate.WISE UP OUT THERE IN GLASNEVIN!!!
Others are a little more understanding about Ireland’s temperamental weather.
I fully accept,having a geography degree, that the weather is somewhat unpredictable, especially in this country. However I cannot help but notice that forecasts in the past few weeks are becoming lay increasingly inconsistent, even from just two days out. While I (like many) am frustrated with the summer, the fact that we cannot seem to predict weather two days out is very annoying.
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Your forecasts for Dublin have been so consistently wrong that I have completely lost confidence in you. Forecasts of rain have failed to materialise so often.For example, it’s now 1.40 AM, not a drop when heavy rain was predicted tonight. It’s very disconcerting.
Not all people are sports fans
Met Eireann does a great job. I’m a big fan of the app especially the rainfall radar . This is a small gripe – I’m not sure that phrases like “will stay dry for the big rugby match” are appropriate.Not everyone follows rugby. That might be ok for the TV weather but maybe not on the app. Hoping this helps.
Dublin versus the rest of the country
I would like to know why you are called Met Eireann instead of Met Dublin? As far as I can gather that is the only forecast you seem interested in getting correct is the Leinster area. I went by your forecast this morning and it was the total opposite to what was given.
Some people do not like the colour-coded weather alerts
Lads, Seriously Please keep the Colour Coded weather warnings for the other side of the Atlantic. A simple weather forecast will be plenty and leave the general public to make their own decisions on how to deal with it.It’s getting ridiculous and you are losing credibility fast. Scaring people, in particular my elderly mother when ye decide to hit the panic button.
Religious days are not going down well
Why do your forecasters use religious terms to describe week days? Is this type of archaic religious terminology by a State Owned Institution even legal as it is clearly discriminatory and at best poor practice? Please advise is this an oversight and your specific Met Eireann policy on the matter? I find it quite offensive in modern Ireland to discriminate against people .
Dear Sir, I would like to request that Met Éireann would refrain from using Christian religious terminology in the weather forecast? It is extremely offensive to read in the website and hear on the news terminologies such as ‘Holy Saturday’ and ’Easter Sunday’. In addition, Met Éireann is part of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government of the Secular Republic of Ireland, therefore we, the citizens, should not be subjected to any bias towards a particular religion/cult.
Can you please refrain from using Catholic religious terms to describe days of the week – it is quite shocking to hear and see references to Holy Friday or Holy Saturday which is very offensive to non-Catholics unless you also cover other religions. As a matter of course you should either refer to none or all religious terms when naming days as a Government secular organisation.
The old British Isles debacle
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So, spare a thought for those at Met Éireann. It’s not always sunshine and happiness.
First published 7:15am
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