The BBC has apologised over a technical glitch that forecasted “hurricane force wind” across England this week.
Wind speeds of 13,508mph in London and temperatures of 404°C in Nottingham were among some of the predictions displayed on BBC Weather this morning.
The alarming and unrealistic weather predictions were caused by a “data glitch” that teams quickly worked to resolve.
BBC presenters also addressed the error, with meteorologist Carol Kirkwood telling presenters the information is “not true at all”.
"We have a bit of a technical glitch at the moment. Believe you me, it is all hands on deck at the moment trying to sort it out quickly, so do not believe that. We do not have hurricane-strength winds or anything like it in this country today – or in the future, hopefully!" she said.
While such blunders are rare, it’s not the first time that something has gone wrong at BBC Weather.
Here, we look at the other BBC forecasts that didn’t go to plan.
1. Tomasz Schafernaker swears on TV
In 2010, the BBC was forced to apologise after the cameras accidentally caught presenter Tomasz Schafernaker raising the middle finger at his colleague.
During the awkward moment, the camera cut to Schafernaker just as he was gesturing to his colleague, who had made a joke about the forecast being “100% accurate”.
Schafernaker quickly tried to move his hand, but the cameras caught it all.
"Every now and again, there's always a mistake, and that was it," Schafernaker’s colleague quickly added after the incident.
The presenter later said: "Prior to a live weather bulletin, I made a gesture off camera joking with my fellow presenters and, without warning, the camera went live to the weather studio.
"I am very sorry for any offence that might have been caused by my actions."
2. Michael Fish gets the 1987 storm wrong
Another memorable moment was when veteran presenter Michael Fish downplayed a 1987 storm that actually ended up devastating the UK.
During his broadcast, Fish said: “Earlier on today, 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!”
However, a severe storm did hit the UK hours later, killing 22 people across the British Isles and France.
More than 30 years on from the incident, people still remember it today – prompting Michael Fish to trend on Twitter in response to this week’s BBC blunder.
3. Carol Kirkwood pulled over by a dog
Weather presenter Carol Kirkwood has been pulled over by dogs twice live on TV.
The first time was in 2021, when she presented a segment from the Chelsea Flower Show while introducing viewers to a guide dog.
The studio presenters were left in fits of giggles when Flash, the dog, pulls her right out of the frame and onto the floor.
In a second incident in 2023, Kirkwood met with a similar fate after she just finished the weather segment at Wimbledon.
When the search dog ran off-screen, Kirkwood was holding the lead and went with him.
4. Seeing double with Helen Willetts
In 2014, Helen Willetts was presenting BBC Weather when the screen suffered a technical glitch and started showing two of her.
In the awkward technical gaffe, Willetts appeared to have a twin as she presented her segment as two people.
A spokesperson later had to clarify: “We experienced a technical problem with our weather graphics which led to two Helens appearing instead of one.”
5. Carol Kirkwood explaining her favourite cloud
In another unusual incident, Kirkwood was explaining what her favourite cloud looks like.
Kirkwood cheerfully told the studio presenters that her favourite cloud is known as a Mamatis cloud, which resembles cow udders.
However, Kirkwood was unaware that her hand gestures may not have necessarily looked like what she’d imagined.
6. Tomasz Schafernaker loses it live on air
Another memorable moment was when Schafernaker was left in fits of laughter on air but amazingly made it through the segment.
During the show, Schafernaker forgot where his colleague was presenting. The blunder caused Schafernaker to break into laughter, making it difficult to continue.
Despite the giggles, Schafernaker pressed ahead – making for an entertaining end to the show.
