Upper Air Observations

Next Storm System

The next storm system will impact Central California tonight and Saturday, producing mainly light precipitation. The majority of this projected valley rain and mountain snow will fall late tonight and Saturday morning. Accumulating snowfall will be confined to mountain elevations above 5,500 feet.

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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.