Analysis of Descent Meteorological Data from NWS RAOB Flights

Weather balloons carry radiosondes aloft from 92 stations across the United States, and around 500 locations worldwide twice daily. Radiosonde in the United States measure atmospheric pressure, temperature and relative humidity as well as calculate wind speed and direction at 1 second intervals, from balloon release until flight termination (usually balloon burst). No data are collected after flight termination, yet the radiosonde is still transmitting data as it descends through the atmosphere. Meteorological data collected from the radiosonde during descent would allow for a second sample of the atmosphere at the same pressure levels at a different location and different time. This additional sampling of the atmosphere could either verify unusual or potentially erroneous data from the ascent sounding, or could show short term changes in the atmosphere. Either way, this additional data could benefit the accuracy of the numeric weather prediction models.