SYRACUSE, NY (WSYR)-
The pandemic-induced supply chain shortages have now reached the world of meteorology and weather forecasting.
The National Weather Service announced earlier this week that because of a shortage of helium, weather balloon launches will be limited at sites across the country.
Normally, weather balloons are sent skyward twice a day at 101 locations in the United States and Caribbean. Because of the shortage, some sites are reducing to one launch a day or even suspended all together on quiet weather days. Roughly 10% of the launch sites nationwide are affected.
Weather balloons are vital for meteorologists because they collect data throughout the lower atmosphere. By using a device attached to the balloon called a radiosonde, data such as temperature, dew point and pressure can be recorded as the balloon rises.
The data collected from the balloons is then made available to meteorologists to get a snapshot of what the atmosphere looks like right now, but this data is also incorporated into computer models providing guidance to meteorologists when making forecasts.
A limited amount of data available to computer models comes from airplanes and satellites
So far, there is no proof that the lack of data has affected any forecasts.
The National Weather Service is working to transition from helium to launch the balloons to hydrogen which is a more reliable and cheaper gas.
