weather balloon

American  

noun

Meteorology.

1. sounding balloon.

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weather balloon Scientific  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of weather balloon

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Weather balloon observations showed that in 2025, the ozone layer directly over the South Pole dropped to a minimum of 147 Dobson Units on October 6.

From Science Daily

However, there is no evidence to suggest that any of those changes directly affected weather balloon launches in the areas impacted by the floods in Texas.

From BBC

Publicly available data shows that, in the lead-up to the floods, weather balloon launches were carried out as planned at Del Rio, the launch station nearest to the flood epicentre, collecting data that informed weather forecasts which experts say were as adequate as they could be.

From BBC

In a video shared thousands of times on social media, US meteorologist John Morales said: "There has been a 20% reduction in weather balloon releases, launches... What we're starting to see is that the quality of the forecasts is becoming degraded."

From BBC

In a series of public statements released since February, the NWS confirmed that it either suspended or reduced weather balloon launches in at least 11 locations across the country, which it attributed to a lack of staffing at the local weather forecast offices.

From BBC