Arizona Watcher
Tucson National Weather Service has paused upper‑air weather balloon launches since late January while staff rework helium delivery, rooftop storage and plumbing.
The helium balloons lift instrument packages that return local vertical profiles—temperature, humidity and winds—especially precipitable water, which helps distinguish flash‑flood risk from other hazards.
The pause results from the supplier switching from large, heavy helium cylinders to smaller ones; converting storage and piping to the new containers forced the halt. Officials say this is a local logistics change, not a global helium shortage.
While grounded, Tucson is using model‑derived soundings and observational launches from neighboring offices, notably Phoenix, to maintain situational awareness. Models are useful but not a perfect substitute for on‑site measurements.
The office says new tanks and rooftop plumbing are nearing readiness and it plans to resume twice‑daily balloon launches once the revised helium system is installed.
Forecasters are balancing these temporary limitations with their mission by relying more on numerical models and regional networks; Tucson's launches have historically been conducted from a rooftop adjacent to the University of Arizona campus.
NOAA issued a fixed‑price purchase order to Green Lantern LLC to supply up to 44,720 cubic feet of helium for the Tucson office (Oct 1, 2024–July 31, 2025); other NWS offices have faced similar pauses while piping or supply changes were completed.
Tucson’s National Weather Service has not launched its upper-air weather balloons since late January because of a change in how helium is being supplied and stored. Forecasters say they can rely on model soundings and data from Phoenix in the meantime and expect to resume…