BBC weather forecast

[Newportnobby]

The Beaufort Scale sets wind as follows:-

37-46 mph = Gale
47-54 mph = Severe Gale
55-63 mph = Storm

Why do the BBC therefore describe gale force winds as either 'strong' or even 'gusty'?
Come on, Beeb, tell it like it is and don't worry about putting the wind up us.

After the 1987 Michael Fish 'male chicken' (changed by forum) up you'd think they'd have learned something.

[port perran]

I moan at the television almost on a daily basis when the weather person says gentle breeze whilst the chart says 40mph.

[railsquid]

I suppose they don't want to risk upsetting people called "Gale" or even "Gail", it is the Century of the Fruitbat 21st century after all.

[guest311]

my question would be ...

why don't they look out of the window 

so often I check the local forecast on line on the Met Office website...

"a light breeze, mainly sunny with occasional cloudy periods"

look out of the window

AND IT'S A HOWLING GALE, AND ABSOLUTELY  POURING DOWN

my first job when I left school, in 19 err, was with the AM Met Office, and in those days they did one day, five day and 30 day forecasts.

these days they can't even get today's weather right 

[Newportnobby]

I suppose they don't want to risk upsetting people called "Gale" or even "Gail", it is the Century of the Fruitbat 21st century after all.

Some folks would maybe like a 'severe Gale'

[daffy]

Since we seem to be shootin' the breeze about the Beeb, I've just looked at the online hourly forecast for my location and at 41mph the wind is described as 'gusty', while at 42mph it is 'strong'.
All I know is it's 45 at the moment (still only 'strong', though in reality it's very gusty) and is unlikely to reach the level of a 'hooley', such as the one we had last week when the wind hit 65mph here, described by the Beeb at the time as 'very strong gusty'.

And why doesn't the Beeb use the correct terms for rain? They never once described the recent rain as 'cats and dogs' .

[Bealman]

There's a lady bowler gets into my local watering hole who's called Gail.

Everyone, including her fellow lady bowlers, thinks she's a pain in the arse.

Severe Gail.

[thebrighton]

I love the inconsistency of both the BBC and Met Office with their online forecasts. I live by the coast right on the edge of 2 postcodes. Viewing forecasts for both codes you'd think they were a hundred miles apart! In the recent storms the forecast wind speed could be up to 20mph different between the 2. Unfortunately the actual hooley went with the higher....

[guest311]

I suppose they don't want to risk upsetting people called "Gale" or even "Gail", it is the Century of the Fruitbat 21st century after all.

Some folks would maybe like a 'severe Gale'

now, now this is a family forum