UFO or Weather Balloon?

(KIMBALL, Neb.) — The Kimball Nebraska Police Department says if you see this in the sky, just know it is not a UFO. This is a weather balloon. The following is part of an article from the Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences, explaining what a weather balloon actually does.

How do weather balloons work?

Weather balloons — or radiosondes — are a means to lift a small instrument package through the atmosphere to measure wind, temperature, humidity and pressure. They are usually about 4-5 feet across and made of latex. The larger the balloon, the higher it rises. The package includes GPS and a radio so we can keep track of where it is and receive data as it drifts in the wind. The data collected, in addition to what we receive from radar and satellites, make weather forecasting possible. Weather balloons are one of the more cost-effective ways of gathering upper-atmospheric data for use in forecasting.

Source Link: https://artsci.tamu.edu/news/2023/02/whats-up-with-weather-balloons.html

-KPD