Comment by thoop
10 months ago
Very cool and very useful!
"Worldwide, most radiosonde observations are taken daily at 00Z and 12Z (6 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST)" - NOAA.gov
I know we get more weather data from other sources, but it seems insane that these 2 launch times per day (per balloon location) are what make up most of our current weather forecasting data.
You mentioned solar. Do you have the capability (or plans) to run these over night as well?
You’re right - Satellite data like GPS occultations and aircraft derived data still make up most of the data by volume. Soundings remain the ideal data source and are weighted very heavily in models, punching way above their volume.
As of right now power constraints mean we maintain tracking throughout the night, but cannot execute altitude maneuvers. We have a solution to this cooking though!
Weather soundings play a part in making a forecast but it's not the only thing? Many times per day we collect weather station data, correlate against past forecasts, bias correct, etc.
Forecasts are made of so much input data it's insane, yes balloons matter but it's not the only thing. They are the only decent source of conditions aloft and the jet stream is main controller of our surface weather so it makes sense.