The BBC on Thursday apologised after a graphic incorrectly forecast winds of more than 13,000 miles (20,000 kilometres) per hour in London, as Hurricane Milton battered the US state of Florida.
“Don’t be alarmed folks — Hurricane Milton hasn’t made it to us here in the UK!” one of the broadcaster’s meteorologists, Matt Taylor, assured the public on X.
“There’s been a data glitch between our suppliers and the app/online. Folk are working to solve the issue,” he said, adding: “No need to panic buy plywood and candles.”
The technical gremlins on the BBC’s weather app and website also resulted in overnight temperatures of 404 degrees Celsius (759 degrees Fahrenheit) being predicted for the central English city of Nottingham.
A BBC Weather statement apologised for “some data issues on our app and website. We are working hard to fix it quickly.
“Sorry — please bear with us,” it added.
The real forecast for Thursday was colder, clearer air moving in with rain and drizzle in the south and blustery showers near the east coast.
The blunder has echoes of a 1987 forecast that went down in broadcasting folklore and turned the meteorologist involved into a national celebrity.
Michael Fish famously told viewers during a broadcast on October 15, 1987 that “apparently a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way.
“Well, if you’re watching, don’t worry, there isn’t!”
A few hours later a storm dubbed the “Great Storm of 1987” — the worst to hit southeast England for three centuries — hit the region.
The BBC’s meteorological mishap came as Milton smashed into Florida leaving at least four people dead and millions without power.
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