Home / Weather / Costly BOM Website Crashes During Critical Weather
Costly BOM Website Crashes During Critical Weather
28 Feb
Summary
- Bureau of Meteorology's website failed during severe weather in South Australia.
- The website upgrade cost taxpayers $96 million, significantly exceeding initial estimates.
- Residents expressed frustration online, questioning the website's reliability during emergencies.
The Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) recently upgraded website experienced a critical failure on Saturday, leaving South Australians without essential observation and forecasting data during severe weather. The outage began around 5:30 AM and persisted into the evening, coinciding with warnings of heavy rainfall and potential flash flooding across the state.
This technical issue emerged just as residents were urged to prepare for dangerous conditions, including torrential downpours and thunderstorms. Many expressed their dismay online, criticizing the website's performance, especially given its substantial cost. The taxpayer-funded upgrade, costing $96 million, far surpassed the initial $4.1 million projection.
The BOM confirmed the fault was resolved late Saturday, with all services restored on its app and website. This incident occurred as the Premier of South Australia highlighted the risks of flash flooding from rainfall exceeding 50-80mm. The state is currently experiencing significant rainfall from a tropical low moving south from the Northern Territory, impacting various regions and catchments, including Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre.
