False claims that heatwave is bogus spread online
www.bbc.com
Weather forecasters wrongly accused of using misleading data to "drive fear".

False claims suggesting that the BBC has been misreporting temperatures in southern Europe have been spreading on social media.

A clip of Neil Oliver, a GB News presenter, accusing the BBC “and others” of “driving fear” by using “supposedly terrifying temperatures”, has been viewed more than two million times.

For the past few weeks, an intense heatwave has been sweeping through parts of southern Europe and north Africa, with extensive wildfires breaking out in Greece, Italy and Algeria - leading to more than 40 deaths.

Speaking about the fires on Rhodes on GB News on Monday, Mr Oliver accused the BBC, and other broadcasters, of trying to “make people terrified of the weather”.

      • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.comEnglish
        212·
        1 year ago

        Yeah… And?

        I can write all sorts of garbage stuff on a blog. It’s not hard to claim that “OH GOD IT’S OVER 110 THAT’S HOT”… when the AVERAGE high for basically the whole month of July is 106.8 degrees.

        Look at the actual history data. https://www.wunderground.com/history/daily/us/az/phoenix/KPHX

        May has been below average… June below average. This July has been a bit warmer than average.

        • sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyzEnglish
          161·
          1 year ago

          That link shows the temperature today is 10 degrees over average. That’s hot. It’s a weird flex to try to claim 115 isn’t hot. Are you a lizard?

          • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.comEnglish
            112·
            1 year ago

            It’s a weird flex to try to claim 115 isn’t hot.

            It would be a weird flex. Good thing I never said that. Strawman someone else asshat.

              • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.comEnglish
                16·
                1 year ago

                Yes… in reference to “summer”.

                Hold on there was a gust off wind today! This summer is really windy!

                I have no problem name calling people who lie to make their point. Manufacturer and shoving words and ideas on my mouth earns you whatever you get.

        • agent_flounder@lemmy.worldEnglish
          13·
          1 year ago

          Yeah 110 is warm for phx not hot. When I was a kid Tucson would easily get into the 112-117 range often. Phoenix was always hotter by a few degrees.

          • Saik0@lemmy.saik0.comEnglish
            17·
            1 year ago

            I love when people who’ve never lived here act like they know better about it though.

            Temps over 110 are indeed regular here. It’s something we’ve generally learned to deal with. And yes… the dryness of heat makes a HUGE difference in the matter.

            How you know that it’s been a cooler summer (At least in June) was that humidity was up a bit. Now we’re back to “normal” and it’s dry and hot. But it’s about August… and Monsoon season is going to kick in, it will cool down again.

            For those of us that have lived here for a while… you will remember at least a few years where there were 3 solid months of “heat”. This year is shaping up to feel more like 1.5-2 months of that heat.

            • agent_flounder@lemmy.worldEnglish
              13·
              1 year ago

              Preach. Lived in Tucson until after college. I can’t handle the heat like I used to. It’s been a weird summer where I am (Denver) with way, way more thunderstorms than I think I have ever seen, May - June, kind of like how southern az monsoons are in Aug. So I kind of wonder if several areas have had an odd summer this year.

              I remember Tucson would hit 100 in may and stay over 100 until like September. Of course 100 is just a warm day for Sonoran Desert dwellers. The weather station had a contest to guess when the Santa Cruz (or was it Rillito?) would melt (break 100°) Which if you’re from the area is fairly amusing on two levels. (The river is almost always dry)