Posted on 09/05/2017 12:22:58 PM PDT by BenLurkin
National Weather Service meteorologists will be sending weather balloons up into the sky four times a day, instead of the normal twice-a-day launches, to help forecasters gain better insight into Hurricane Irma's likely course.
...
After the weather instruments were calibrated, the radiosonde was brought outside to the launch shed.
...
"It does seem like old technology. I'm sure there are going to be better methods of sampling upper air data, but right now measuring it with the instrument going through the parcel of air is the best we have," Kern said.
The reason for the extra launches came down to how forecast models work.
"All the models run from the same starting point, run their different equations to get perhaps a different or maybe a same, similar output," Kern said.
If models start with poor data, then the outputs will be just as poor. Having new data every six hours compared with every 12 hours gives the models a much more accurate starting point.
(Excerpt) Read more at ketv.com ...
From a pic yesterday...There’s a front up north. How far it dips will have an impact. Could push it out to sea earlier.
ya know “Omaha” sure looks like “Obama”, especially when the context fits.....
At first I thought it said obama being used as a weather balloon..
That’s an insult to weather balloons..
Omaha should change its name.. sounds to much like obama.
Yes well, thanks to Obama we’re likely to see the balloon go up for real.
Suuure, the old weather balloon story again.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.