iPhone user baffled after spotting 'never seen before' symbol on weather app that could be bad news

An iPhone user was left bemused after spotting a mysterious symbol on their weather app that could mean bad news.

Most of us in the UK are well acquainted with the rain cloud icon on our weather apps. Lately though, the sun and heatwave symbols have been getting far more airtime amid the scorching temperatures sweeping the country.

But weather patterns around the world are shifting in more dramatic ways, with some regions bracing for dangerously heavy rainfall, high winds and powerful thunderstorms, while others swelter under record heat.

With a super El Niño on the horizon and unusual weather already putting five major US cities on alert, it is perhaps no surprise that some people are encountering icons on their weather apps they have never seen before. For one iPhone user, an unfamiliar symbol led her to ask social media for answers.

Posting on X, the user shared a screenshot of their weather app and pointed to a small swirling circle at the 20:00 slot.

"Does anyone know what that little symbol at 20:00 means? Haven't seen it before..." they posted.

When one person suggested she simply Google it, she did, and came back with a worrying answer. According to the user, Google said the symbol was for a tropical cyclone, which she admitted felt a 'little over the top.'

The viral post has since racked up over three million views, with thousands of users weighing in to try and crack the mystery.

"Cyclone/twister/tornado I think, depending where in the world that forecast is for," one user agreed.

Another added: "Officially for Tropical Cyclone, but also used for tornadoes."

A third user suggested: "I'd interpret that symbol as a tornado. However, I rather believe it's strong winds or a thunderstorm."

A fourth user commented: "Strong wind gusts, I think in this (because it could also be a hurricane or tornado, but that seems odd to me)" to which the original author replied: "I already suspected something like that... I had never seen it before, though, so it'll be exciting tonight."

Here's hoping the forecast was more dramatic than the reality, because according to the World Meteorological Organization, tropical cyclones rank as the second-most-dangerous natural hazard in the world, behind earthquakes.

Their website states: "Over the past 50 years, 1,945 disasters have been attributed to tropical cyclones, which killed 779,324 people and caused US$ 1.4 trillion in economic losses – an average of 43 deaths and $ 78 million in damages daily."