The National Weather Service says a weather balloon — similar to the one you see here — detected winds of 198mph above Salem as it floated up about 33,000 feet in the sky!
These are the strongest winds ever recorded at that elevation by a balloon released from Salem airport.
And that is saying something.
Because weather balloons have been released from there for decades, twice a day, three hundred sixty-five days a year.
Weather balloons are launched at the same time, twice a day, across the U.S. and instruments they carry report back to NOAA’s supercomputers to help us get a true snapshot of what is happening in the atmosphere.
That 198mph wind at 33,000 feet is pretty close to passenger jet cruising altitude and that surely meant a bumpy ride for those crossing our airspace on Tuesday March 8, 2016.
This is part of a pineapple express storm that will bring rain, wind and for awhile, some mountain snow–before that turns to rain, as well.
MY HUSBAND AND I SAW YOU ON CH 2 DOING THE WEATHER FORECAST.
YOU STILL HAVEN’T LOST THE CHARM. GOOD LUCK.
.