Chester Zoo is leading a nationwide push to change how weather forecasts are displayed on popular weather apps, warning that rain icons could be costing some venues up to £137,000 a day.

The zoo has coordinated a joint approach to the Met Office on behalf of more than 80 outdoor attractions, including the Eden Project, RHS Gardens, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and Blenheim Palace, arguing that a single raincloud icon summarising a 24-hour period can create the impression of a wet day that would deter visitors, even when much of the day is dry.

Attractions say visitors often make decisions based on a quick review of their weather app, and if they see a raincloud icon, plans to visit an attraction might be cancelled.

Chester Zoo says domestic day trips are worth over £50bn a year to the UK economy, while the attractions argue that spontaneous visits are highly weather-dependent, suggesting that around 70% of people check forecasts before heading out. Some sites report attendance dropping by up to 30% following an unfavourable forecast.

The group stresses that it is not challenging forecast accuracy but says the way the information is visually presented could be misleading.

“The reality might be a brief shower at 6am – but the symbol suggests a washout,” says Dom Strange, Chief Operating Officer of Chester Zoo. “As the national zoo and one of the UK’s leading attractions, we’re speaking up for the wider visitor economy – from heritage sites to theme parks – and the thousands of jobs that depend on spontaneous visits.”

Attractions are now calling for a roundtable with the Met Office, government, and major weather app developers to explore practical improvements, including separate daytime and overnight weather icons, clearer written summaries such as “showers early, brighter later”, and indicators showing the proportion of expected dry hours.