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10
Oct 2024
Weather glitch sees BBC predict 5,985mph winds across Harrogate district
Local people were shocked today to see the BBC predicting winds of almost 6,000 miles per hour in the Harrogate district.
But the broadcaster later admitted the forecast, which would have made Hurricane Milton seem like a gentle breeze, was faulty.
The BBC apologised, saying its weather website and app had experienced a data fault issue with a third-party supplier.
Graphics showed estimated wind speeds of 13,508mph in London and 5,293mph in Rome - far in excess of any genuine hurricane.
In Harrogate wind speeds of up to 4,039mph were estimated while Pateley Bridge was predicted to see gusts of up to 5,985mph.
The forecast for elsewhere in the area included:
Masham - 5,769mph
Ripon - 5,484mph
Boroughbridge - 5,449mph
Knaresborough - 4,870mph
In a statement, BBC Weather said:
We have an issue with some of the weather data from our forecast provider which is generating incorrect numbers and text on our BBC Weather app and website.
It’s mainly been impacting wind readings, but some temperatures are also displaying wrongly.
We recognise there is huge interest in weather today and this is incredibly frustrating.
We are really, really sorry about this and working very hard to fix the problem.
A BBC spokesperson said it was working with its supplier to fix the issue as soon as possible.
The Met Office said Florida's Hurricane Milton could bring uncertainty to the UK weather next week if its remnants ended up in the Atlantic, but added the hurricane was "highly unlikely to reach the UK".
BBC Weather presenters took to social media to address the issue.
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