Maine’s weather service doubles balloon launches ahead of Hurricane Lee
The National Weather Service office in Gray, Maine, is preparing for Hurricane Lee by launching four weather balloons each day as opposed to two.
The balloons will be launched all week and into the weekend at 7 a.m., 1 p.m., 7 p.m. and 1 a.m.
Forecasters attach a device known as a radiosonde to the balloon, which collects various types of data such as relative humidity, temperatures and wind speeds in the upper atmosphere. This data is transmitted to the NWS forecasting office where it can be analyzed by meteorologists.
The building where meteorologists from the NWS inflate the weather balloons. Credit: CBS 13 Credit: CBS 13
Hurricanes occur in the troposphere within the upper atmosphere. If there are strong upper-level winds, they will break down a hurricane’s eyewall, weakening the storm.
As Hurricane Lee slowly travels north, meteorologists at NWS Gray say that Mainers on the coast should prepare for rough surf and large swells.