Someone at the National Weather Service office in Anchorage, Alaska inserted a hidden "PLEASE PAY US" message in this morning's forecast discussion (a product that gives the forecaster's scientific justification for his or her forecast), using the first letter of every line to spell out the subliminal message:

They almost immediately republished the forecast discussion without the plea for help. The NWS is known to have fun in its forecast discussions sometimes (anyone who lives in DC and has read one of WOODY!'s forecast discussions knows what I mean).

The National Weather Service is considered an essential Federal government agency because it provides life-saving forecasts and warnings to everyone in the United States and its territories. The agency's forecasters are on duty issuing forecasts as they were before the shutdown, they just aren't being paid for it.

As mentioned yesterday, the weather had been quiet up until the shutdown. The country is now facing Tropical Storm Karen, a major blizzard in the upper Plains, and an impending tornado outbreak across the upper Midwest, all of which are forcing the now-unpaid forecasters to work overtime.