WOW HERE'S SOME GOOD NEWS FOR ANYONE WHO THOUGHT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE'S ALL-CAPS DATA BLASTS WERE A LITTLE BRUSQUE IN THIS LOWERCASE-FRIENDLY INTERNET AGE. ON MAY 11TH, THE NWS WILL SWITCH TO USING MIXED-LETTERS IN SOME FORECAST PRODUCTS, AND THE TRANSITION SHOULD BE COMPLETE BY THE END OF THE YEAR. YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT, KID.
THE NWS HAS, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT, ONLY JUST NOW BEEN ABLE TO UPDATE ITS SOFTWARE TO THE POINT WHERE MIXED CASE IS POSSIBLE. EVEN THOUGH IT WANTED TO SWITCH EVER SINCE FOR SOME REASON TYPING LIKE THIS STARTED TO SEEM KIND OF RUDE IN THE '90S, IT STILL HAD SOME CLIENTS USING TOTALLY OUTDATED EQUIPMENT CALLED TELEPRINTERS THAT WOULD ONLY RECOGNIZE CAPITAL LETTERS. REALLY?! SHEESH.
"PEOPLE ARE ACCUSTOMED TO READING FORECASTS IN UPPER-CASE LETTERS AND SEEING MIXED-CASE USE MIGHT SEEM STRANGE AT FIRST," YELLED NWS METEOROLOGIST ART THOMAS AT A STAFFER FRANTICALLY TYPING OUT A PRESS RELEASE WHILE TRYING TO AVOID SPITTLE. "IT SEEMED STRANGE TO ME UNTIL I GOT USED TO IT OVER THE COURSE OF TESTING THE NEW SYSTEM, BUT NOW IT SEEMS SO NORMAL," HE ADDED, SLAMMING HIS CLENCHED FIST ON THE TABLE.
The NWS will, however, still sometimes use all-caps forecasts in particularly extreme conditions, so look forward to those.
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