LAS VEGAS (AP) — With all the technological advances in weather forecasting over the years, National Weather Service officials in Las Vegas and across the country still rely on a decades-old practice to fine tune their outlook — twice-daily launching of weather balloons.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports a National Weather Service staff member, every day at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m., steps outside the office and launches a weather balloon.
The helium-filled latex balloon gradually rises more than 100,000 feet while towing instruments that measure temperature, humidity and air pressure.
The routine provides a vertical snapshot of the atmosphere that meteorologists can't get from weather instruments on the ground.
