Storm of complaints hits Bureau of Meteorology after website revamp

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has faced a wave of criticism following the launch of its redesigned website, with many Australians expressing frustration over changes to the site’s layout and usability.

The BOM said the overhaul aims to deliver “a secure and resilient” platform to enhance access to trusted weather information. The new site features a refreshed design, improved security, and functionality updates across its most visited pages, including forecasts, observations and warnings.

According to the BOM, the redesign introduces improved navigation, greater accessibility, and the ability for users to save favourite locations and map settings - similar to the BOM Weather app.

The site is also mobile-responsive and written in plain English to make weather information clearer and easier to understand.

Despite these intentions, the launch has drawn a strong negative response online. Within hours of going live, the BOM's social media pages were inundated with feedback describing the site as confusing and difficult to navigate.

Frequent users, including farmers and emergency responders, have voiced concern that key information such as radar imagery and local forecasts is now harder to locate - particularly during severe weather events.

A spokesperson from the BOM defended the redesign, saying the agency remains confident users will adapt to the new format over time.

“The Bureau of Meteorology serves every Australian every day and we take that commitment seriously. Millions of Australians use our website daily and the new website represents a change for all of them,” the spokesperson said.

“The new website was designed in consultation with the Australian community to make sure it delivers the benefits our customers have told us they want and need. We conducted user research and testing to understand how people use the website and identified improvements based on this research and testing.”

“To help the community adjust to the new website, it has been available in beta for the community to explore and provide feedback on for over 12 months. During that time, community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”

“As we saw with the relaunch of the BOM Weather app in 2020, a dip in customer satisfaction is expected as customers familiarise themselves with the new website. We expect satisfaction to increase as customers become accustomed to the new website and discover its benefits”, the spokesperson said.

The BOM confirmed that some specialist content is still being transitioned from the old site, meaning users will see a mix of legacy and new pages for a period of time.

While the BOM says it will continue to refine the site based on community feedback, early public reaction suggests many Australians are struggling to see the benefits just yet.