The BBC has confirmed the issues with its weather app and website have been resolved early on Friday after it had been incorrectly forecasting “hurricane-force winds” to hit the UK.
Graphics showed London was set to experience winds of more than 13,000mph on Thursday, while Nottingham would have overnight temperatures of 404C.
The corporation said the issue was caused by a problem with the forecasting software of DTN, the BBC’s weather data provider.
“The issues were caused by a problem in the BBC’s weather data provider DTN’s forecasting software which has now been fixed and DTN has apologised for the disruption. We are sorry for any inconvenience experienced by our users.”
The corporation apologised for the incorrect forecasts on Thursday and said it was working with its supplier to fix the problem “as soon as possible”.
Lead weather reporters were among those to reassure BBC viewers that there was no need to be alarmed by the extreme predictions.
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. Folk are working to solve the issue.
No need to panic buy plywood and candles pic.twitter.com/3tYWm9lyx7
— Matt Taylor (@MetMattTaylor) October 10, 2024
BBC broadcast meteorologist Matt Taylor confirmed that Hurricane Milton, the category-three storm that hit Florida, 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, formerly Twitter, alongside a screenshot of an incorrect forecast on the weather app.
“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.”
DTN is a data and analytics company which provides “weather insights for aviation, agriculture, transportation, and more”, according to its website.
DTN has been contacted for comment.
