National Weather Service Map That Looks Like One of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Goes Viral

A National Weather Service Map that happens to look like one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has gone viral on social media. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center posted a storm prediction map for the United States on Sunday, July 17th; the northeast, central, and southern regions of the country were covered in color-coated highlights that not only made it look like a ninja turtle’s face was part of the USA – but a grinning face, at that. 

It really is one of those things you have to see to believe. So here’s the NWS’s accidental Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gaff: 

If we had to make a judgment call, this looks like Michaelangelo’s face and demeanor poking through this weather map. It’s also a really nice touch that the faux Ninja Turtle drawing looks like a child fan did it. In a summer full of hazardous weather all over the country, this is about one of the only light and cheeky moments to enjoy from it. 

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise making a big multi-pronged relaunch in the 2020s. Netflix’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Nunja Turtles movie is about to be released in August, offering a bold new animated style for the characters and franchise. Here’s the breakdown:

WATCH: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trailer

 “When a mysterious stranger arrives from the future with a dire warning, Leo is forced to rise & lead his brothers, Raph, Donnie, & Mikey in a fight to save the world from a terrifying alien species…the Krang!”

Michelangelo is voiced by Brandon Mychal Smith, Leonardo is voiced by Ben Schwartz, Splinter is voiced by Eric Bauza, Raphael is voiced by Omar Benson Miller, and Donatello is voiced by Josh Brener.

In addition to the Netflix movie, a different Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is also in development over at Paramount, headed by The Boys and Invicible duo Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg. While details are still vague regarding that project, Seth Rogen had the following to say: 

“As a lifelong fan of Ninja Turtles, weirdly the ‘Teenage’ part of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was always the part that stuck out to me the most,” Rogen previously told Collider. “And as someone who loves teenage movies, and who’s made a lot of teenage movies, and who literally got their start in their entire profession by writing a teenage movie, the idea of kind of honing in on that element was really exciting to us. I mean, not disregarding the rest, but really using that as kind of a jumping-off point for the film.”

Another live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film was supposedly in development with Michael Bay and SNL’s Colin Jost. 

Netflix’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie streams on August 5th. Paramount’s TMNT movie is slated for release on August 11, 2023.