Humor after data breach

BBC warns of 404 degrees in England in weather report

In a storm of more than 20,000 kilometers per hour, as predicted by the BBC, not much would have remained of this British lighthouse.

(Bild: AFP)

Due to climate change, extreme weather phenomena are unfortunately not uncommon - but fortunately it didn't turn out as radically as the British broadcaster BBC predicted on Thursday. Due to a glitch, the forecast was 404 degrees Celsius and wind speeds of more than 20,000 kilometers per hour. 

The British broadcaster BBC has apologized for the glitch in the weather forecast, which had predicted temperatures and storms of gigantic proportions. 

The broadcaster tried to counter the error with humor: "Don't worry, folks! Hurricane 'Milton' hasn't made it to us in the UK yet," BBC meteorologist Matt Taylor assured the online service X, referring to the tropical storm in the USA.

The weather presenter's contribution on X:

"No need to panic"
The hugely exaggerated figures were due to a "data error", Taylor explained. The technicians are in the process of solving the problem. "No need to panic and buy plywood and candles," the weatherman added.

On Wednesday, a weather graphic had incorrectly displayed wind speeds of more than 20,000 kilometers. In addition, technical problems in the weather app and on the BBC website led to night-time temperatures of 404 degrees Celsius being forecast for the central English city of Nottingham. Instead, the forecast for Thursday was for colder air, rain and drizzle in the south and stormy showers near the east coast.

A screenshot of the erroneous weather forecast on X:

BBC asked for patience
The BBC's weather desk apologized for "some data issues in our app and on our website". The team was "working hard to resolve the issue quickly", it said in a statement. "Sorry, please be patient," it read.

The error brought back memories of a momentous forecast from 1987, when BBC weatherman Michael Fish commented on a previous viewer warning of an approaching hurricane with the words: "Don't worry, it's not true." A few hours later, the south-east of England was hit by the worst storm for three centuries.