Weather balloon Weather balloon A weather or sounding balloon is a balloon (specifically a type of high-altitude balloon) that carries instruments aloft to send back information on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed by means of a small, expendable measuring device called a radiosonde. To obtain wind data, they can be tracked by radar, radio direction finding, or navigation systems (such as the satellite-based Global Positioning System, GPS). Balloons meant to stay at a constant altitude for long periods of time are known as transosondes. Weather balloons that do not carry an instrument pack are used to determine upper-level winds and
Significant weather advisory 58 miles per hour. The product is mainly used by forecast offices located in the National Weather Service's Southern Region Headquarters. A significant weather advisory or warning is not an official National Weather Service product, instead it is issued within a special weather statement. Special weather statements are also used for any type of weather approaching watch/warning/advisory levels. Many NWS offices do not use significant weather advisories, instead issue normal special weather statements mentioning much of the same text used in such an advisory. If severe weather is detected, alerts (mainly a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning) are issued by