Incorrect weather forecasts caused a political uproar in Hungary, which was preparing to celebrate the country's most important national holiday, prompting officials to dismiss two weather experts, according to news sources on Tuesday, August 23, 2022.

The site explained that what was described as "the largest fireworks display in Europe" was organized on Saturday evening to celebrate St. Stephen's Day, which is a national holiday in Hungary.

But seven hours before the scheduled start of the event, the government postponed it citing warnings of severe weather; however, the weather remained calm, leading to the dismissal of the head and deputy head of the meteorological authority.

There were about 40,000 fireworks ready to be launched from 240 points spanning 5 kilometers along the Danube River in central Budapest, in a display usually watched by up to two million people.

The government postponed the event for a week due to warnings of severe weather it received, but the rainy storm predicted by the national meteorological service struck parts of eastern Hungary and did not reach the capital.

The service published a public apology on its Facebook page on Sunday, August 21, explaining that the "less likely" outcome occurred, and that uncertainty is part of weather forecasting.