5 times I'm a Celebrity has been hit by wild weather as hailsone ‘gustnado’ threatens launch of 2024 series

The show producers have reportedly been on weather watch since the ‘gustnado’, which is an Aussie nickname for a mini-tornado, came blew in to Queensland and caused hailstones to batter the area.

It’s currently summer season in Australia, and the country has been hit by severe weather warnings owing to the heat, but torrential rainstorms are predicted to hit, according to The Mirror.

A source told the publication: “ITV bosses don’t know if they’re coming or going — its either factor 50 or umbrellas. Bosses have plans in place for all scenarios, they just wish they knew which one they were planning for.”

Producers insisted, however: “We have contingency plans for all weather.”

I'm A Celebrity is filmed at Springbrook National Park in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Sydney. The ITV camp, where the celebrities sleep, eat and hang out when they're not doing the trials, is in Dungay Creek.

According to the Met Office, a thunder shower is set to hit the area at 8pm local time on Sunday (November 17), which is 10am UK time. Some of the I’m a Celeb footage could be being recorded at that time, so we may see it play out on screen.

It’s not the first time weather has caused havoc for the I’m a Celeb contestants and producers alike. In 2015, evacuations were called for because storms cut the camp's power and the cameras were out of action. Similarly, in 2019, the camp had to be evacuated due to similar torrential rain and storms and part of the show was cancelled.

Then, last year, the stars also battled against rapidly changing weather. Temperatures were constantly rising and were about 15 degrees above the usual November temperatures, and again there were thunderstorms as the celebs prepared to enter camp.

In 2022, following torrential rain which led to flooding around the camp, bosses took the “precautionary measure” to close the camp for 24 hours prior to the arrival of the contestants, with a spokesperson from ITV telling PA at the time: “We closed site for 24 hours as a precautionary measure due to the inclement weather.”

The weather issues could not be avoided when the show moved to Wales due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In late November 2021, the campmates had to be removed from the set of the show after it suffered damage during Storm Arwen.

A weekend of episodes of the ITV show, filmed at Gwrych castle, Conwy, were also cancelled as a result. ITV said "technical difficulties caused by extreme weather" had forced them to cancel the Saturday and Sunday episodes on November 27 and 28, and producers of the show had to abandon the live element of the show on the previous Friday evening (26 November).