The National Weather Service is upgrading its weather balloon technology and phasing out an iconic white dome that marked the agency’s headquarters across the country for a generation.
Weather Service science officer Robert Rickey released a large white weather balloon from the agency’s Flagstaff office in front of a small crowd of spectators. Twice a day, about 90 offices of the National Weather Service release a balloon 100,000 feet into the air to track humidity, wind direction, speed and pressure.
"Today’s balloon will probably land near Williams. About 70% of them land between the peaks and let’s say, Kayenta," Meteorologist In Chief Brian Klimowski.
The antennae inside the upper air program’s dome has been removed and the dome itself is making the building’s roof prone to leaks.
"We used to have a large antenna that was housed inside the dome that would track the weather balloons and receive the signal from the weather balloon as it was rising up," he said.
He says that while antennae and domes are a relic of the past, the weather balloons themselves will keep going up.
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The victim was an older adult male, but officials have not released any additional details about the case. Temperatures this spring have been much hotter than average. -
According to National Weather Service data, temperatures have averaged about 8.3 degrees above-normal so far this month – the third-hottest start to April on record in Phoenix. -
Arizona labor groups are calling for state regulations to require specific protections from heat in workplaces. But actions from the state have so far fallen short of what workers have called for. -
As the Industrial Commission of Arizona considers workplace heat safety recommendations, some employers say they would welcome new heat rules, but others worry about overregulation. -
Arizona's outdoor workers endure extreme temperatures. But Arizona does not have any specific state regulations requiring their employers to provide them with water, shade or breaks from the heat.
