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 (21,900kph) today, 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.
“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.
Don’t be alarmed folks - Hurricane Milton hasn’t made it to us here in the UK!
— Matt Taylor (@MetMattTaylor) October 10, 2024
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 pic.twitter.com/3tYWm9lyx7
“No need to panic buy plywood and candles.”
Lead BBC weather presenter and meteorologist, Simon King, also assured users of the website and app that there will not be “14408mph winds, hurricane force winds or overnight temperatures of 404C” in a social media post.
Oops, don’t be alarmed by some of our @bbcweather app data this morning.
— Simon King (@SimonOKing) October 10, 2024
Be assured there won’t be 14408mph winds, hurricane force winds or overnight temperatures of 404°C. 🤦♂️
It is being looked at and hopefully sorted asap 🤞 pic.twitter.com/Fjgw15s8ej
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.”
'We are on it'
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) October 10, 2024
On #BBCBreakfast Carol reassured viewers that there is a 'technical glitch' with the BBC weather app and there is no hurricane in the UKhttps://t.co/g98lIxeBuI pic.twitter.com/6G9KJooNSP
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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