Phones across the nation buzzed with urgent notifications from the Met Office, but it turned out to warnings sent in error.
The message warned of a “significant threat to life” due to “high temperatures” by 11.59pm on Friday, November 29—an odd alert considering the chilly weather in the UK at the time.
Muddled Brits were then hit by a second message warning of the entirely opposite extreme: “Severe snow or ice warning until 23.59.”
One baffled recipient tweeted: “Severe high temperature warning when currently 4C in the #Lakedistrict.”
It appears both messages were test warnings, mistakenly made public due to a hiccup with a third-party aggregator, according to the BBC.
The Met Office swiftly dealt with the faux pas, clarifying in a statement: We are aware of an issue where some test weather warnings were displaying on some websites and apps, we’ve worked with partners to ensure these test warnings have now been removed.”
Furthermore, they reassured everyone that as of 2pm Thursday, November 28, there were no severe weather warnings in force, apologising for any inconvenience caused, reports the Express.
SOUTH WEST WEATHER FORECAST
This Evening and Tonight:
Increasingly windy in coastal areas overnight. Staying generally dry but a chance of light rain in places. Mist and murk over the hills and much milder than last night. Minimum temperature 5 °C.
Friday:
Cloudy and windy for many but sunnier in eastern counties. Showery rain spreading east later. A milder day than on Thursday but blustery with strong winds in places. Maximum temperature 13 °C.
Outlook for Saturday to Monday:
Often cloudy and rather windy this weekend and turning much milder. Occasional sunny intervals but also some rain at times, heaviest in the west. Colder with showers on Monday.