Despite new technologies, IMD continues to rely on weather balloons
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) continues to use traditional radiosonde weather balloons alongside modern satellite and radar systems for atmospheric profiling. Officials state that these balloons remain the most accurate method for validating data and monitoring vertical wind patterns.
Why it matters
It highlights the continued necessity of legacy hardware in modern scientific infrastructure, demonstrating that high-tech solutions often require traditional validation methods.
Even in an era of advanced satellites, radar systems and sophisticated computer models, the radiosonde attached to weather balloons continues to play a crucial role in weather forecasting. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has been launching hydrogen-filled weather balloons with radiosondes from its Thiruvananthapuram centre twice daily since 1956.
The article provides a balanced technical explanation of meteorological practices without political or ideological framing.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in