Islamabad, Oct 11: BBC Apologizes for Erroneous Weather Forecast Predicting Wind Speeds of 20,000 KPH. As Hurricane Milton made landfall in the US state of Florida on Thursday, the BBC apologized for their inaccurate forecast of winds topping 13,000 miles per hour (20,000 kilometers per hour) in London.
“Hurricane Milton hasn’t reached the UK, folks,” BBC meteorologist Matt Taylor tweeted on X (formerly Twitter). He clarified that specialists were trying to fix the problem, which was caused by a data fault between the BBC’s suppliers and its app/website. In a lighthearted way, Taylor continued, “No need to panic buy plywood and candles.”
The BBC’s weather app and website also predicted 404 degrees Celsius (759 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight temperatures in Nottingham due to a technical issue. BBC Weather issued an apology in a statement for the “data issues” and reassured users that they were working quickly to resolve the situation. They kindly asked for patience. “We’re sorry; please be patient.”
In reality, Thursday was supposed to bring cooler, clearer conditions with rain and drizzle in the south and blustery showers close to the east coast. Many were reminded of the occurrence of the infamous 1987 weather forecast by meteorologist Michael Fish, who went down in history when he downplayed fears of an impending storm.
He made his famous statement, “Apparently a woman rang the BBC Apologizes and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way,” during a live broadcast on October 15, 1987. Don’t worry if you’re watching; there isn’t! A few hours later, the worst storm in more than three centuries, known as the “Great Storm of 1987,” made landfall in southeast England. The current incident involving the BBC happened as Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, killing at least four people and knocking out electricity to millions more.
