Weather Balloon

weather balloon, Restrictions for Using NOAA Images: Most NOAA photos and slides are in the public domain and CANNOT be copyrighted. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work of the United States Federal Government under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. Image ID: nssl0020, NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) Collection Credit: NOAA Photo Library, NOAA Central Library; OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)

Rawinsonde weather balloon just after launch. Notice a parachute in the center of the string and a small instrument box at the end. After release it measures many parameters. These include temperature, relative humidity, pressure, and wind speed. This information is transmitted back to surface observers.