You may have noticed one drifting over Saskatoon this summer.
That big, white, latex weather balloon climbing high into the sky is part of an Environment Canada initiative called the Upper Air Program.
This summer, the program has been collecting information that has been helping forecasters anticipate severe weather before it reaches the ground.
“What we do is launch balloons, either filled with helium or hydrogen,” said Andrew Conan, who is a meteorological technologist with Environment Canada. “We attached a small radio device called a radiosonde.”
Once the balloon has begun its journey upward, the radiosonde gathers valuable information not available on the ground. It records what is happening in the atmosphere at different elevations. That information is used to get a more accurate prediction for their weather models, basically a vertical snapshot of the atmosphere.
“The reason we send the balloon up is we can get an accurate reading, basically a transect of the atmosphere,” said Andrew Conan. “So basically, we can go all the way up into the troposphere and up into the atmosphere, and we can get temperature, relative humidity.”
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This data is received soon after launch from a radiosonde attached to the balloon. It will help inform forecasts later in the day. It is an important data point when there is the possibility of severe weather on the horizon.
The balloon watches for the ingredients that could lead to torrential downpours, damaging wind or hail, or even tornadoes. It’s also being used to better understand thunderstorms that could produce lightning capable of sparking a wildfire.
“It is good to have that data, to increase the accuracy of (a) warning,” said Conan.
There are already similar permanent stations in Alberta, Manitoba and elsewhere in Canada, but until now, there has not been one in Saskatchewan.
“We recognize the gaps. So, we’re using this as a pilot program, and it seems to be helping,” added Conan.
The big balloon, which is biodegradable, will eventually pop and drop to the ground.
Conan said the flight takes about two hours to reach its final altitude. Once it does, the transmitter collects all of the data before sending it to forecasters as a single package.
The station was announced in late July, but because it is only a summer storm season pilot project, it will shut down mid-September.
Environment Canada has been looking at something more permanent in Saskatchewan, but there is no confirmation yet on where or when that might be.