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What is a radiosonde?

A radiosonde is an electronic instrument package that hangs beneath a hydrogen- or helium-filled weather balloon. The instruments in a radiosonde are used to measure temperature, air pressure, and relative humidity as they float upward to a maximum height of 19 miles (30.6 kilometers). (Relative humidity is the amount of moisture in the air, expressed as a percentage of how much moisture are can hold at a given temperature.) Attached to radiosondes are radio transmitters, which continuously send upper-air readings back to weather stations on the ground.

Some radiosondes, called rawinsondes, emit a signal so their location can be tracked by radar on the ground. The path of a rawinsonde gives an indication of how wind speed and wind direction change with height.

Radiosondes in the United States contain parachutes, so they can gently drift back to the ground. Each radiosonde comes with a prepaid mail...

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