BBC Weather App Glitch Causes Alarm with Erroneous Forecasts

A significant glitch in the BBC weather app led to alarm across the United Kingdom as it erroneously predicted extreme weather conditions, including hurricane force winds and record-breaking temperatures. The technical mishap warned of wind speeds as high as 15,345 mph in Oxford Circus, London, alongside forecasts of temperatures reaching 404 degrees Celsius in Nottingham.

The BBC has acknowledged the issue, attributing it to “data issues” with a third-party supplier and stated they are actively working to resolve it. “We apologize for any inconvenience caused and are working with our supplier to fix this as soon as possible,” a BBC spokesperson said.

The error was highlighted during a broadcast on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme. Host Nick Robinson commented, “You might have noticed that there are hurricane force winds in Oxford Circus. Let me just reassure you, there aren’t.” Co-host Emma Barnett also emphasized the misinformation, describing Robinson’s commentary as “a live debunking of misinformation.”

Meanwhile, the real weather conditions reported by the BBC included rain and drizzle in southern England and blustery showers on the east coast. To correct the misinformation, meteorologist Matt Taylor clarified on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Don’t be alarmed folks – Hurricane Milton hasn’t made it to us here in the UK! There’s been a data glitch between our suppliers and the app/online.”

Simon King, another BBC weather presenter, also took to social media to reassure the public. “Oops, don’t be alarmed by some of our BBC Weather app data this morning. Be assured there won’t be 14,408mph winds, hurricane force winds or overnight temperatures of 404C,” he stated.

This confusion coincided with the arrival of Hurricane Milton, which has made landfall in Florida. The hurricane, classified as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, resulted in almost three million households losing power in Florida. The Met Office warned of potential impacts to UK weather if the storm’s remnants move into the Atlantic, although it noted Milton is “highly unlikely to reach the UK.”

Numerous flight cancellations between the UK and Florida were reported, with airlines like Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, and Tui involved amid closures of major Floridian airports.