The Met Office is being paid to provide a "bespoke" weather forecast for Ayr's Station Hotel, Ayrshire Live can reveal.
South Ayrshire Council is coughing up to meteorologists as part of a contract on the building.
The council pays £2,500 per year to be warned of incoming bands of wind and rain.
Officials today said they were being provided with "specific information on an hourly basis".
They said the forecast took into account the height of the building and its white safety dome.
But one Ayr councillor said the spend had left him "almost lost for words".
Conservative opposition leader Martin Dowey said: "I have the Met Office weather app on my phone and very good it is, too.
"It gives me hourly forecasts on everything from wind speed and direction to predicted rainfall.
"And yet, here we are, paying good money to be told exactly the same thing.
"Frankly, I'm almost lost for words.
"It strikes me as a sheer waste and is yet another reminder of the need for a resolution to the whole sorry saga at the hotel."
The news follows the release of a report which warns the crumbling pile could cost the taxpayer £50 million over the next 30 years if left to rot.
Council bosses, who have been forced to step in and manage the privately-owned building, are currently paying £52,000 per month in maintenance fees.
They have been in charge at the site since placing a dangerous building notice on the hotel three years ago.
Ayrshire Live has previously told how a private foreign investor is also keen on developing the hotel for student accomodation.
A council spokesperson said: "The Met Office provides site specific information on an hourly basis.
"This bespoke information takes into account the height of the building and the encapsulation works and how it could be affected by adverse weather.
"The cost is £2,500 per year."
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