Weather balloons carry radiosondes that measure atmospheric pressure, temperature and relative humidity as they rise. Tracking the radiosonde’s GPS position provides wind speed and direction. Together, these observations make a vertical atmospheric profile called a sounding.
Forecasters combine soundings from many launch sites with satellite, surface and past-weather data. The resulting upper-air information is fed into numerical weather-prediction models and helps meteorologists assess severe thunderstorms, aviation conditions, marine weather and longer-term atmospheric changes.
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What instrument does a weather balloon carry?
The balloon itself is only the lifting system. The measuring package is a radiosonde suspended beneath a hydrogen- or helium-filled balloon. It contains sensors, a radio transmitter and positioning equipment. As the package ascends, it sends observations to a ground receiver.
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NOAA describes radiosonde flights that can last more than two hours, climb above 115,000 feet (35,000 metres) and encounter temperatures as low as −130°F (−92°C). Those figures describe demanding example flights, not a guaranteed altitude, duration or temperature for every launch. (NOAA: Radiosondes)
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Direct sensor measurements
| Measurement | What it tells forecasters |
|---|---|
| Pressure | How pressure changes with altitude, helping locate the radiosonde within the atmosphere and describe the vertical structure of weather systems. |
| Temperature | The thermal profile above the launch site, including warming and cooling layers that affect clouds, stability and precipitation. |
| Relative humidity | How close the air is to saturation at each level, indicating layers favorable for clouds, fog or precipitation. |
These three variables are the radiosonde’s direct atmospheric measurements. NOAA’s terminology matters: wind is not a fourth sensor reading from the same trio.
Wind is derived from tracked motion
Ground equipment follows the radiosonde’s position, now normally using GPS. The change in position over time reveals the speed and direction of the air carrying the package. NOAA calls an observation that includes this tracked wind information a rawinsonde observation, although “radiosonde observation” is often used more broadly for the complete report. (NOAA: Radiosondes)
This distinction prevents a common misunderstanding: the instrument senses pressure, temperature and humidity directly, while wind is calculated from the balloon’s movement through the atmosphere.
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Archived and processed upper-air products can contain more fields than the three direct sensor readings. NOAA’s weather-balloon products include the following:
| Field | How to interpret it |
|---|---|
| Geopotential height | The height associated with a pressure level, useful for comparing the vertical position of pressure surfaces between stations. |
| Dew-point depression | The difference between air temperature and dew-point temperature; it is another way to express how close the air is to saturation. |
| Elapsed time since launch | Timing information that places each observation within the ascent and helps align measurements from different levels. |
| Wind direction and speed | Values derived from the tracked trajectory rather than measured by a standalone wind sensor on the radiosonde. |
Which fields appear depends on the report or archive product. Their presence should not be taken to mean that every item is a direct sensor measurement. (NOAA NCEI: Weather Balloon)
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How a balloon flight turns air into a sounding
- Launch: A station releases the instrument beneath a helium- or hydrogen-filled balloon. Routine launches are commonly coordinated around 00Z and 12Z (UTC), with extra launches possible when severe weather requires more frequent observations.
- Ascent and sensing: The radiosonde samples pressure, temperature and relative humidity continuously or at frequent intervals while the balloon rises through different air masses.
- Radio transmission: Measurements are sent to a receiver at the launch site. The receiving system time-stamps and stores the incoming data.
- Position tracking: GPS positions are followed throughout the flight. Successive positions provide the wind vector at each level.
- Profile construction: The observations are arranged by altitude or pressure level to produce a vertical profile, known as a sounding.
- Distribution: The sounding is shared with forecasting systems and meteorologists, where it can be compared with observations from other stations and assimilated into weather models.
A sounding is therefore not a single number such as the temperature at the surface. It is a sequence of measurements through the depth of the atmosphere above one location. The balloon’s ascent supplies information that a conventional surface station cannot provide.
How forecasters use radiosonde data
Upper-air observations fill a major gap between ground instruments and satellites. Forecast models need to know the atmosphere’s three-dimensional starting state: not only what is happening at the surface, but also how pressure, temperature, moisture and winds change above it. Radiosonde profiles provide direct observations for that initial state.
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Computer-based weather-prediction models combine radiosonde reports with satellite measurements, surface observations and previous model data. The observations help constrain the model’s estimate of the atmosphere before it projects conditions forward in time. A better description of the current vertical structure can improve forecasts of fronts, precipitation, temperature changes and wind fields.
Severe-thunderstorm forecasting
Storm forecasters use soundings to examine the temperature and moisture structure above a location and the wind profile through the lower and middle atmosphere. Those layers help determine whether air can rise, where clouds may form and how storms might organize or move. Extra balloon launches can be requested during significant weather so forecasters receive a more current picture of a rapidly changing environment.
Aviation forecasts
Aircraft operations depend on winds and temperatures at flight levels, not just conditions on the runway. Radiosonde-derived wind profiles support route planning, turbulence assessment and estimates of conditions during climb and descent. Temperature and humidity profiles also help identify layers associated with icing or cloud.
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Marine forecasts
Over and near oceans, upper-air wind and temperature information helps meteorologists analyze developing low-pressure systems, fronts and hazardous wind shifts. Soundings complement surface buoy and ship reports by showing how the atmosphere is structured above the sea.
Satellite calibration and atmospheric studies
Radiosondes provide “ground truth” for satellite products: an independent vertical profile against which remotely sensed temperature and moisture estimates can be checked. NOAA also lists weather and climate studies and air-pollution investigations among the uses of radiosonde observations. (NOAA: Radiosondes)
How to read a sounding and an upper-air chart
A single sounding
A single sounding describes one atmospheric column at one station and launch time. Meteorologists plot these observations on a Skew-T chart, a format designed to show how temperature, moisture and wind vary with pressure and height. The plot can reveal inversions, saturated layers, dry air above moist air and changes in wind with altitude.
Because the balloon drifts while it rises, the profile represents a moving path through the atmosphere rather than a perfectly vertical column over one point. It is still a detailed local sample, but it should not be treated as a map of an entire state or coastline.
Many soundings and upper-air charts
Upper-air charts combine observations from multiple stations. Comparing the same pressure level across stations exposes gradients and larger-scale patterns that a single sounding cannot show. Forecasters use this network view to locate ridges, troughs, fronts and broad wind fields. NOAA’s guidance emphasizes interpreting a sounding alongside other stations and observing systems. (NOAA: Upper Air Charts; NOAA: Skew-T Plots)
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The practical rule is simple: use one sounding to understand the atmosphere above one site, and use a collection of soundings to infer regional structure.
How often are balloons launched?
Most routine radiosonde observations worldwide are coordinated at 00Z and 12Z so that measurements from many countries arrive at similar times for global forecasting. National weather services may launch additional balloons during severe or rapidly developing weather. The exact schedule varies by station and operational need.
NOAA describes roughly 1,300 upper-air stations worldwide and says the U.S. National Weather Service operates observations from 92 stations, with additional NWS-supported sites in the Caribbean. Those counts come from NOAA’s informational page rather than a dated, real-time station inventory, so they should be treated as approximate descriptions of the network, not a live list of active sites.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the global archive contains
For historical analysis, NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information maintains the Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive (IGRA). The archive contains records from more than 2,800 globally distributed stations, with the earliest observations reaching back to 1905. Recent data are available near real time from about 800 stations, according to the current IGRA product page.
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IGRA version 2.2, the version identified on that page, adds two real-time BUFR data streams intended to fill gaps in the archive. “More than 2,800 stations” refers to stations represented in the historical archive; it is not directly comparable with the approximately 1,300-station figure for the worldwide operational upper-air network. The two numbers describe different inventories.
| Figure or description | What it represents | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| About 1,300 stations | NOAA’s broad description of worldwide upper-air stations. | Not presented as a current, station-by-station inventory. |
| 92 stations | U.S. National Weather Service upper-air observations. | Additional NWS-supported stations operate in the Caribbean. |
| More than 2,800 stations | Stations represented in the IGRA historical archive. | Archive coverage is not the same as currently active launch sites. |
| About 800 stations | IGRA stations with recent data available near real time. | Availability changes as data streams and stations change. |
| 1905 | Approximate beginning of the earliest IGRA records. | Historical coverage varies by station and variable. |
Consult the NOAA Integrated Global Radiosonde Archive page for the archive’s current version, station documentation and access details.
Important limitations when using balloon data
A profile is local and time-specific
A sounding is a snapshot from one launch site and time. Conditions can change substantially over a few hours, and nearby terrain or coastlines can produce different profiles. Forecast decisions should therefore use the latest available observations and compare neighboring stations.
Historical series can contain discontinuities
IGRA is quality controlled, but NOAA warns that records can include jumps or discontinuities caused by instrument changes, altered observing practices or station moves. A sudden shift in a long time series is not automatically evidence of a climate shift.
Trend studies may need adjusted products
For long-term temperature analysis, NOAA points users toward adjusted datasets such as the Radiosonde Atmospheric Temperature Products for Assessing Climate (RATPAC) and other homogenized products. These adjustments are designed to address non-atmospheric changes in the observing system before trends are interpreted.
Archive variables are not identical to raw sensor output
Processed files may include calculated heights, dew-point depression, elapsed time and wind fields. When analyzing data, check the product documentation so a derived field is not mistaken for a direct measurement and so missing levels or changes in reporting practice are handled correctly.
What weather balloons add that surface stations cannot
- Vertical context: Surface instruments describe conditions at one level; a radiosonde traces the atmosphere upward.
- Wind through the depth of the atmosphere: GPS tracking supplies a profile of direction and speed rather than only a surface anemometer reading.
- Independent checks on remote sensing: Direct in-situ measurements help evaluate satellite-derived temperature and moisture products.
- Consistent international timing: Coordinated launch times make observations from distant stations more useful to global models.
- Long historical reach: Archives such as IGRA preserve observations for weather analysis and carefully adjusted climate studies.
Bottom line
A weather balloon is the carrier; the radiosonde is the observatory. It directly measures pressure, temperature and relative humidity, while GPS tracking of its flight yields wind speed and direction. The resulting sounding gives forecasters a time-stamped vertical view of the atmosphere. Combined across stations and assimilated with other observations, these profiles improve numerical forecasts and support decisions about thunderstorms, aircraft, ships and atmospheric change. The data are powerful but local, time-sensitive and—especially in long archives—subject to changes in instruments and observing practices.
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