Confused Sydneysiders checking their iPhones on Wednesday morning in hope of the rain letting up were instead told snow and sleet was on the way.
The weather may be crazy - but not that crazy.
The forecast in the Apple app is simply wrong, Weatherzone meteorologist Alex Zadnik told Fairfax Media.
"Obviously something's gone wrong with their algorithm - there's no chance of snow and sleet with temperatures above five degrees. It's wrong on many many levels," Mr Zadnik said.
"I don't recall there ever being reported snow in the Sydney CBD in my lifetime.
"Sometimes people see hail occur and might refer to it incorrectly as snow or sleet, but hail forms through different processes."
Apple's built-in weather app on iOS mobile devices is powered by an American company called The Weather Channel.
"They're using raw model data with no human intervention to power their app - at least it appears that way - so there's no real quality control and no real adjustment," Mr Zadnik said.
"They've obviously got a lower quality data source for Australia than a local provider."
If you want more accurate local weather, go to the official Bureau of Meteorology website.
Weatherzone also uses this official data in its smartphone app, combined with its own forecast modelling.
Unfortunately, the bureau does not have an official smartphone app.
Sydneysiders should expect more rain, with the wettest period from 8-11am Wednesday morning, according to Weatherzone.
The good news is the rain is set to ease in the afternoon, with no more heavy showers after 7pm.
Weatherzone is owned by Fairfax Media, publisher of this article.
