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National Weather Service in Blacksburg suspends weather balloon launches due to hydrogen issues

The National Weather Service in Blacksburg is one of four sites impacted by the hydrogen issue

How weather balloons help predict launch weather

ROANOKE, Va. – Weather balloons are routinely launched twice a day by forecasters at the National Weather Service in Blacksburg.

These balloons have radiosondes on them, which are instruments that gather information on temperature, dew point, humidity, pressure, wind speed and direction throughout the atmosphere.

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Until further notice, however, the National Weather Service in Blacksburg will be suspending routine launches. For some offices in the country, this suspension is due to a helium shortage. For others, including our local NWS office, this suspension is due to “a temporary issue with the contract of one hydrogen supplier.”

After calling the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, we were told that balloons would only be launched on days with severe weather to better account for how the atmosphere is behaving.

A statement by the National Weather Service Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland says this will not impact regular forecasts or warnings.

This suspension affects 9% of all sites that routinely launch balloons.