The BBC issued an apology on Thursday after its weather service mistakenly predicted winds exceeding 13,000 miles (20,000 kilometers) per hour in London, as Hurricane Milton hit the US state of Florida.
“Don’t worry, folks—Hurricane Milton hasn’t reached the UK!” reassured BBC meteorologist Matt Taylor on X (formerly Twitter). He explained the error was due to a data glitch between the BBC’s suppliers and its app/website, and technicians were working to resolve the issue. Taylor humorously added, “No need to panic buy plywood and candles.”
The technical malfunction also caused the BBC’s weather app and website to predict overnight temperatures of 404 degrees Celsius (759 degrees Fahrenheit) in Nottingham.
In a statement, BBC Weather apologized for the “data issues” and assured users that they were working to fix the problem swiftly, asking for patience: “Sorry—please bear with us.”
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The actual forecast for Thursday involved colder, clearer weather with rain and drizzle in the south, and blustery showers near the east coast.
The incident reminded many of the infamous 1987 weather forecast, which became legendary when meteorologist Michael Fish dismissed concerns about an approaching storm. During a live broadcast on October 15, 1987, he famously said, “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!” Hours later, the “Great Storm of 1987” hit southeast England, becoming the worst storm in over three centuries.
The BBC’s recent mishap occurred as Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida, leaving at least four people dead and millions without power.
