Outside the National Weather Service office in Green Bay, April 10, 2024. PC: Fox 11 Online
ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — It’s Severe Weather Awareness Week in Wisconsin.
The National Weather Service office in Green Bay is sharing information about its weather balloons and the data collected when they are launched.
Weather balloons are launched twice each day from NWS offices around the country under normal conditions. They start out about 4 to 6 feet in diameter and travel up about 30,000 feet into the air, immediately transmitting data back to the weather office. It takes about an hour and a half for it to grow to the size of a two-car garage before it pops. The bio-degradable debris then falls back to earth, most likely into Lake Michigan.
NWS warning coordination meteorologist Kurt Kotenberg says it’s like taking a snapshot into the atmosphere.
You can help meteorologists in your area by becoming a storm spotter. Click here for more information.
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