National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Tropical Storm and Storm Surge Watches for the North Carolina Outer Banks; Hot in the Mid-Mississippi Valley

Tropical Storm conditions and coastal flooding are possible in the North Carolina Outer Banks beginning late Wednesday. Tropical Storm and Storm Surge Watches are in effect. Major Hurricane Erin is expected to bring life threatening surf and rip currents along the East Coast beaches this week. Hot to extremely hot temperatures are forecast through Tuesday in the Mid-Mississippi Valley. Read More >

Upper Air Observations


Decoded Upper Level Winds

Plotted Upper Air Soundings

GOES Derived Atmospheric Vertical Soundings

Alternate Sources for Upper Air Soundings
Ohio State

California Wind Profiler Data Can be Found Here

Why Do Forecasters Still Rely on Weather Balloons?

Twice every day, from nearly 100 locations in the United States, the National Weather Service launches weather balloons, carrying instrument packages called radiosondes. Radiosonde sensors measure upper-air conditions such as atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity, wind speed and direction. The data is important for aviation safety, and meteorologists use radiosonde information to prepare weather forecasts.