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
          13·
          11 months 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
            51·
            11 months 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
              11·
              11 months 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
                  1·
                  11 months ago

                  Yes… in reference to “summer”.

                  Hold on there was a gust off wind today! This summer is really windy! <this is what you’re effectively saying, and asserted via straw man to get there>

                  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
            11·
            11 months 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
              13·
              11 months 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.