A deflated balloon found on the roadside outside Cedarville this week appears to be a spent weather balloon, based on preliminary research and the equipment attached. Modoc Record stated that this has not been officially confirmed.
The large latex balloon was discovered with a small blue device at its base that resembles a radiosonde, the sensor package commonly used to measure temperature, humidity and pressure during high-altitude National Weather Service launches. After these balloons rise and burst, the equipment typically returns to the ground by parachute.
The National Weather Service launches weather balloons twice daily across the country to gather data used in forecasting. The devices are not hazardous and can be disposed of or kept by whoever finds them.
Local residents occasionally come across fallen balloons in rural areas of the region when wind conditions carry them off course.
