National Weather Service ordered to resume twice-daily weather balloon launches, "an important step"
National Weather Service offices across the country have been ordered to resume their previous schedule of twice-daily weather balloon launches, CBS News Detroit has learned.
Vytas Reid, meteorologist for CBS News Detroit, says this "is an important step toward strengthening weather forecasting across the country."
As reported previously by CBS News, the pullback of weather balloon data in mid-March 2025 directly impacted forecasting in Michigan. At least 13 of nearly 100 balloon sites were cut or reduced when the White House's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, took aim at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that year.
Those criticizing the cutback included former NWS agency directors.
How this impacted Michigan
Two of the balloon launch sites, one in northern Michigan and another in Wisconsin, had data gaps that might have helped with preparations for a devastating ice storm in March 2025 in Northern Michigan. The NWS says this network of weather balloons provides information about what is happening in the upper atmosphere, with research that dates back to the 1930s.
"While it [the forecast] showed devastating ice, it ended up still being worse than expected," said Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News Detroit's chief meteorologist said later that spring about the Michigan ice storm.
Bajjey said he was working without National Weather Service data he usually counts on when making forecasts.
"We couldn't get true real-world data as often as needed," Bajjey said.
Resuming the data collection
Reid said it has now been confirmed that the NWS was directed to resume its twice-daily weather-balloon schedule.
"These launches, conducted every 12 hours, collect critical atmospheric data on temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed, and wind direction at various altitudes. This information gives forecasters a detailed picture of current conditions throughout the atmosphere, helping them better understand how weather systems are developing and moving," he said.
"The restoration of these regularly scheduled launches is particularly significant because missing morning observations can leave gaps in the data used to initialize computer forecast models.
"Returning to a consistent schedule provides forecasters with more complete, reliable information, improving their ability to identify developing storms, assess severe weather threats, track changing wind patterns, and anticipate temperature and precipitation trends. "While weather balloons are just one part of a much larger observing network, they provide direct measurements of the atmosphere that satellites and surface observations cannot fully replace. Ultimately, getting these launches back on schedule means better information going into forecast models and a stronger foundation for accurate forecasts and timely warnings that help protect lives and property."
The above video originally aired on May 24, 2025.
