National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Another Arctic Blast in the East; Eastern U.S. Winter Storm

A powerful Arctic blast will bring dangerously cold, record low temperatures to the upper Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, Gulf Coast and Southeast U.S. this weekend. A rapidly deepening storm will produce widespread heavy snow and wind from the southern Appalachians across the Carolinas and southern Virginia into Sunday. Storm-force winds and coastal flooding will be possible along the East Coast. 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.