A person holding an iphone showing the BBC Weather app. The BBC has apologised for its weather app and website incorrectly forecasting "hurricane force winds" to hit the UK as it works to fix data issues(Image: Yui Mok/PA Wire)

BBC apologises for weather glitch after forecast for 400C temperatures and 13,000 mph winds

Graphics on the BBC weather app showed London was set to experience winds of more than 13,000mph on Thursday while Nottingham would have overnight temperatures of 404C

by · Irish Mirror

The BBC has apologised for its weather app and website incorrectly forecasting “hurricane force winds” to hit the UK as it works to fix data issues.

Graphics showed London was set to experience winds of more than 13,000mph on Thursday while Nottingham would have overnight temperatures of 404C.

BBC broadcast meteorologist Matt Taylor assured the public that Hurricane Milton, the category three storm that made landfall in Florida overnight, was not on its way to the UK.

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“Don’t be alarmed folks – Hurricane Milton hasn’t made it to us here in the UK!”, he wrote on X alongside a screenshot of an extreme prediction on the weather app.

“There’s been a data glitch between our suppliers and the app/online. Folk are working to solve the issue. No need to panic buy plywood and candles.”

Screengrab from the BBC Weather app, as the BBC has apologised for its weather app and website incorrectly forecasting "hurricane force winds" to hit the UK as it works to fix data issues. Graphics showed London was set to experience winds of more than 13,000mph on Thursday while Nottingham would have overnight temperatures of 404C. Issue date: Thursday October 10, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story MEDIA BBC. Photo credit should read: BBC/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

Lead BBC weather presenter and meteorologist, Simon King, also assured users of the website and app that there will not be “14,408mph winds, hurricane force winds or overnight temperatures of 404C” in a social media post.

Meanwhile, BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood told BBC Breakfast viewers that the weather centre was experiencing a “technical glitch” that they were trying to fix “right now”.

A statement from BBC weather on social media said: “You may have noticed some data issues on our app and website. We are working hard to fix it quickly. Sorry – please bear with us.”

It added that the accurate weather headlines for Thursday included colder, clearer air moving in, rain and drizzle in the south and blustery showers near the east coast. A BBC spokesperson added that the issue was with a third-party supplier which they were working with to fix the issue “as soon as possible”.

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