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Critical Fire Weather in the Southern High Plains; Heavy Snow in the Great Lakes and Northeast U.S.

Gusty winds and low relative humidity will bring critical fire weather to the southern High Plains Friday. A winter storm will track across the Great Lakes and Northeast U.S. Friday into Saturday with areas of wintry mix and heavy snow from northern New York through southern Maine. Read More >

Upper Air Observations


Decoded Upper Level Winds

Plotted Upper Air Soundings

GOES Derived Atmospheric Vertical Soundings

Alternate Sources for Upper Air Soundings
Ohio State

California Wind Profiler Data Can be Found Here

Why Do Forecasters Still Rely on Weather Balloons?

Twice every day, from nearly 100 locations in the United States, the National Weather Service launches weather balloons, carrying instrument packages called radiosondes. Radiosonde sensors measure upper-air conditions such as atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction. The data is important for aviation safety, and meteorologists use radiosonde information to prepare weather forecasts.