SPECIAL REPORT: Up in the air, YPG tells the forecast by releasing weather balloons
13 On Your Side's Vanessa Gongora gives an inside look at how the YPG meteorology team helps us get the forecast
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - When you think of all the things the U.S. Army does for our country, one thing you may not think of is why it's important for them to predict the weather.
Yuma Proving Ground's (YPG) meteorology team releases up to 25 weather balloons a day.
Once these weather balloons release, they track wind speed, temperature, pressure and atmospheric density.
Mark Hendrickson, YPG lead meteorologist says the purpose of the team is to put out the daily forecast and issue watches and warnings.
"High winds, thunderstorms, flash floods, things in those natures," says Hendrickson.
In addition, the data from the weather balloon is critical for artillery firing.
"Our meteorological support touches a lot of commodity customers here, especially ammunitions and weapons testing. These people are out firing long range heavy artillery, so our balloon data helps them calculate the trajectory, the range, the drift of their ammunitions," explains Hendrickson.
So how does a weather balloon collect the data?
"A piece of equipment called a radiosonde is attached to the balloon which has a GPS receiver on it which keeps track of its location and also helps determine wind speed," says Hendrickson. "And while that radiosonde's going up, it's collecting temperature, pressure, density, those elements."
Orren Keane, the tracks meteorologist on the team, says there's no better way to track the current conditions.
Not only at YPG, but nationwide.
"Sounding data is essential for weather models and just the things that we do as meteorologists on a day to day, especially whenever there's inclement weather it's really important to get the entire profile of the atmosphere," says Keane.
They are in the air for approximately an hour and a half.
The data from the released balloon is then transmitted to their computer.
"So as the balloon's rising, we have a range ring that tracks the balloon's current position, azimuth and range," says Hendrickson.
The data gets posted to a share drive where test officers can pull the files they need.
"Airdrops can figure out where their packages are going to be landing after they are dropped out of a plane," Hendrickson says.
The data is then transferred to the Phoenix National Weather Service office.
"Where it'll be incorporated into the global weather models eventually," Hendrickson mentions.
The team consists of three meteorologists, two electronics technicians, and four meteorological technicians.
One big event in Yuma that the team helps out with is the Colorado River Crossing Hot Air Balloon Festival.
"We bring our balloon trailer out there and usually do at least one radiosonde launch and then maybe two or three other just pilot balloons," Hendrickson continues. "So they can get a good grasp on how their hot balloons are going to take off once they release."
The weather balloons can travel as far as Phoenix depending on the wind speed and are a one-time use.
Hendrickson says more weather balloons are launched in Yuma than any other location, possibly in the world for any single site.
