BoM apologises after live test of new tsunami warning software

The Bureau of Meteorology has apologised for conducting a live test of new tsunami warning software on its weather app and social media channels, which caused alarm among users.

The bureau is moving to a new tsunami early-warning system software and issued test posts on the BoM Weather app between 11am and 12pm.

The BoM Weather app has been in place since 2016 and uses data from its Australia-wide network.

The bureau had warned on x just prior to the test that it would occur and could be disregarded, but it appeared not all users of its app or channels saw that communication.

BoM has since apologised for causing “any confusion” among users, saying that “there is no tsunami threat to Australia.”

“The test warnings were sent to the BoM Weather app for various locations. The test warnings were cancelled immediately after they were issued,” the bureau said.

“Testing is important to help the bureau and partners prepare and plan for real tsunami threats.”

The bureau recently spent $866 million on a seven-year technology transformation. Described as its “most ambitious project” ever, the Robust program addressed “security, stability and resilience vulnerabilities” after a 2015 hack, and major outages in 2015 and early 2016.