The 14 Worst & Most Worthless Weather Forecasts Ever

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The 14 Worst & Most Worthless Weather Forecasts Ever

The consequences range from ruined summer barbecues to untold destruction

Published 5 months ago in Facepalm

Meteorologists don’t always get it right. When you or I mess up at our jobs, we usually just get a stern lecture. But when a weatherman screws up, the results can range from people getting kinda wet, to hundreds of people dying. Weather prediction has come a long way, but that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect science. There’s still plenty of room for error.

Check out this list of some of the most off-base meteorological predictions made throughout history. The consequences range from ruined summer barbecues to mass destruction.

1
The Schoolhouse Blizzard
In 1888, the Army Signal Corps, who were in charge of weather reports back then, decided not to issue a cold wave warning on the night of January 11th. A massive snowstorm and temperature drop of nearly 100 degrees hit the northwest plains of the US and claimed an estimated 235 lives from hypothermia.

2
Knickerbocker Storm
On January 27th, 1922, nearly 2.5 feet of snow fell in just 24 hours in Washington DC. Local forecasts had predicted mild weather that day. The snowstorm was named after the Knickerbocker Theater, whose roof collapsed under the weight of the snow, killing 98 people and injuring many more.

3
The Great Storm of 1987
During his forecast on October 15th, 1987, BBC weatherman Michael Fish said “Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way. Well, if you’re watching, don’t worry – there isn’t!” In the early hours of the next morning, a massive storm with 100+ mile per hour winds led to capsized ships, uprooted trees, and 18 deaths.

4
Boscastle Flood
On August 17th, 2004, the Cornish fishing village of Boscastle was woefully unprepared for a massive flood that swept away cars and destroyed buildings. The weather forecast had predicted only heavy rain and light flooding, nothing close to the deluge that occurred.

5
India’s 2009 drought
India’s meteorological department predicted that monsoon season would arrive on time and at normal levels in 2009, encouraging farmers to sow their crops without worry. The rains ended up being delayed and at lower levels than usual, leading to the devastation of many crops and farming communities.

6
Hurricane Elena
Meteorologists in 1985 knew Hurricane Elena was coming, but not where it was going to end up. This led to multiple evacuations across the Gulf Coast as the storm erratically veered off course again and again. It finally made landfall in Mississippi after multiple failed predictions.

7
Tri-State Tornado
This tornado on March 18th, 1925 became one of the deadliest in US history because of the lack of warning from weather forecasters. It claimed 695 lives as it traveled through Missouri, southern Illinois, and southwestern Indiana. The forecast that day predicted nothing out of the ordinary.

8
Chicago Blizzard
In January 1967, the weather forecast predicted just a few inches of snow. This proved to be way off the mark, as Chicago got nearly two feet by surprise, leaving thousands of buses and cars abandoned on the streets, and stranding people where they were.

9
Minister for Rain
In 1976, the UK faced severe drought conditions after a record-breaking heatwave. Amidst growing concern, the government appointed the first-ever Minister for Drought, Denis Howell, to handle the issue. Handle it he did– somehow, the day after he was appointed, it abruptly began to rain heavily, leading to his nickname as the ‘Minister for Rain’.

10
Tinker Air Force Base tornadoes
This forecasting flop paved the way for better meteorological predictions for the future. On March 20th, 1948, an unforeseen tornado hit Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, causing over $10 million in damage. Five days later, the base’s meteorologist issued the nation’s first official tornado forecast, which turned out to be correct.

11
Barbecue Summer
In April 2009, the Met Office of the UK predicted a sunny summer season, declaring it the ‘barbecue summer’. Well, it ended up being more of a soggy summer instead, with rain, wind, lower temperatures, and what the Met Office sheepishly referred to as ‘unsettled weather’.

12
UK cold snap
Later that same year, the UK Met Office predicted that there was only a 1 in 7 chance of the UK experiencing a colder than average winter. That winter was the coldest in the UK in 30 years. This debacle led the Met Office to quietly stop issuing seasonal forecasts.

13
Missed blizzard
In 2015, meteorologists forecasted an intense blizzard to hit New York City. Bill de Blasio said, “This could be the biggest snowstorm in the history of this city. My message for New Yorkers is: prepare for something worse than we have ever seen before.” The blizzard never materialized, and New Yorkers were left with about just five inches of snow.

14
Hurricane Charley
Meteorologists originally predicted 2004’s Hurricane Charley as a Category 2 storm. Just five hours from landfall, they upgraded it all the way to a Category 4 storm. It went on to become one of the costliest hurricanes in US history.