weather balloon

noun

, Meteorology.

1. sounding balloon.

weather balloon

1. A balloon used to carry instruments aloft to gather meteorological data in the atmosphere. Weather balloons are tracked by radar, Global Positioning System, or theodolites. The balloon itself usually contains devices to measure temperature, pressure and humidity, although it can contain specialized devices to measure the ozone in the ozone layer. Filled with hydrogen or helium gas, weather balloons can reach 35 km (22 mi) in altitude before disintegrating due to the decreased pressure of the lower stratosphere.

Word History and Origins

Origin of weather balloon¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Let’s examine temperature data, shown below, from a weather balloon that sampled the atmosphere at Dulles International Airport on Wednesday evening, hours before the precipitation began.

From Washington Post

In fact, the routine weather balloon release at Dulles Airport revealed its presence Wednesday night.

From Washington Post

The balloons fall under a category of use called “lifting applications” which includes party balloons, blimps, and weather balloons, among others, which together comprise less than 10 percent of global helium consumption, according to Kornbluth.

From Popular-Science

Still, he acknowledged that it was suspicious: if it was just a weather balloon crash, why the secrecy, he asked.

From The Daily Beast