“Report, bad and dangerous”: experts think about the descent of weather balloons in the United States.

After a huge job, The National Meteorological Service is eliminating or by reducing the launch of eight -seater meteorological balloons in the United States. Meteorologists and former managers of the Agency warn that this measure will reduce precision of forecasts just when the season of extreme weather phenomena begins.

Meteorological balloons They are launched twice a day in one hundred locations provide information that meteorologists and computer models use to determine the time it will do and how dangerous it can be.

According to eight scientistsMeteorologists and ancient high positions of the Ocean and atmospheric national administration (Noaa), the mother agency of the meteorological service, reducing the number of launches is a mistake.

The balloons increase by 30,000 meters In the air with sensors called radioosides that hang about 6 meters below them and measure the temperature, the spraying point, the humidity, the barometric pressure, the speed and the direction of the wind.

“The good thing about the meteorological balloons is that they provide information that cannot be obtained in any other way“Says D. James Baker, former head of Noaa during the Clinton administration. He had to cut the expenses in the agency during his mandate, but said he refused to cut observations such as the Meteorological balloons “It is an absolutely essential piece of the prediction system.”

The professor of the environment at the University of Oklahoma, Renee McPherson, said: “This is frankly dangerous.” “Bad”, wrote Ryan Maue in one and -mail, who was a scientific leader of Noaa at the end of Primer mandate of President Donald Trump. “We should not degrade our weather system by jumping the balloons. Not only is it shameful for Noaa, the cessation of the meteorological launches of balloons will worsen the Meteorological forecasts of the United States. “

Where will the meteorological balloons in the United States be suppressed?

The launches will be eliminated In Omaha, Nebraska and Rapid City, in the South Dakota, “due to the lack of staff of the meteorological security office (WFO)”, said the meteorological service in a notice issued on Thursday. You are also cutting two daily versions to a daily life En Aberdeen, Dakota del Sur; Grand Junction, Colorado; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Gaylord, Michigan; North Platte, Nebraska y Riverton, Wyoming.

The Trump administrationAnd his Department of Efficiency of the Government fired hundreds, probably more than 1,000, the Noaa workers at the beginning of this year. The government then sent letters Tell employees to the allowed test to go to charge, but should not present themselves at work.

At the beginning of this month, the agency had announced Meteorological balloons In Albany, New York and Gray, in Maine, already the end of February, he concluded the releases in Kotzebue, Alaska. There are already 11 sites announced with observations of reduced or eliminated balloons, or about one on nine launch places that include part of the peaceful and the Caribbean.

Among the weather stations They report regularly, Noaa had an average of an interruption of balloons of balloons per day between 2021 and 2024, according to an analysis of the Associated Press of the launch data.

Meteorologists Jeff Masters and Tomer Burg estimates him 14 of the 83 Balloons of the United StatesOr 17%, they are making partial launches or none. This includes two stations that are not launched due to the lack of helium and a third party who is hindered due to the coastal erosion.

“More data We can introduce in our meteorological models, more precise It will be our predictions, but I cannot speculate on the reach of future repercussions, “said Susan Buchanan, spokesman for the meteorological service, in one and -mail.

The professor of Meteorology From the University of Albany Kristen Corbosiero he observed the launch map on Friday and said “Wow, it’s an empty area … it’s not right.” Corbosiero works in the building where Albany’s weather service climbed on the roof to launch meteorological balloons twice a day. Now only one is launched at nightWhich, according to her, is worrying about the season of bad weather.

Why are weather balloons so important?

“For those of us who are a East of the rocky mountainsThis is probably the worst moment of the year “, explains McPherson, from Oklahoma”. It is time for the year in which we have some of ours older Tornado outbreaksEspecially when we move around April and May. “

Former director of the National Meteorological Service, Elbert “Joe” Friday, said this Meteorological balloons obtain “the lower atmospheric level Detailed temperature and humidity that can determine if the atmosphere will be hot enough to trigger serious storms and how intense they can be. “

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Satellites do a good job When you get an overview and the measurements of the soil and radar show what happens on the ground, pBut the meteorological balloons provide the key central part From the puzzle of the forecast, the atmosphere, in which it is forged for the most of the time, said several meteorologists.

The 10 announced reductions are found in the north of the United States. In this period of the year it is where it is found The jet flowAn Air river that moves the weather systems throughout the planet, so not having so many observations is particularly problematic, McPherson and Corbosiero underlined. Meteorological balloons are also vital To help predict when and where they rain, Baker said and another old head of Noaa, Rick Spinrad.

The meteorological agency regularly launched balloons from the 1930s. During the Second World WarMeteorological balloons in the Arctic helped the United States to win the aerial battle in Europe with better forecasts for airplanes, EE saidXIFE on Friday Meeorology.

It takes in 90 minutes and an hour In filling a meteorological balloon with helium or hydrogen, equip it with a sensor and prepare it for the launch, ensuring that the radio -sonda does not crawl on the ground, she explained on Friday, which recalled the launch of a ball on behalf (Alaska) with twenty of 50 km/HY a thermal sensation of some –30 ° C.

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Next, Meteorologists follow the data for a couple of hours Before the ball returns to the ground, which is a total of about four or five hours of work for one person, he explained on Friday. “It’s fun to do,” he said on Friday Friday.