US Helium Shortage may Affect Weather Forecasting

Weather forecasters typically launch weather balloons twice a day to collect enough data points that help to run the prediction model. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Tallahassee, Florida, said they will be switching from twice-daily weather balloon launches to once per day in the morning beginning March 1 due to the ongoing helium shortage. The reduction of launches will have no impact on severe weather operations, the NWS said, or their ability to warn on dangerous storms. We estimate that each balloon may use around 100 cubic feet of helium.

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