The NWS typically launches a daily balloon at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. but felt it was necessary to get more timely information about wind speeds, humidity levels, and wind directions ahead of today's storms to help them better determine where and when the most severe storms will occur.
RELATED: National Weather Service office in Wilmington
The balloon will rise to approximately 100,000 feet. The data is sent back to the local NWS office computers which are shared across the country with our team of Stormcenter7 meteorologists.
The data already retrieved indicates today we could see more significant tornados, more long lasting tornadoes versus the more short lived tornado activity we've seen recently.
Larger hail and straight line winds are also a threat expected today.
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LEARN MORE ABOUT SEVERE WEATHER TERMS AND PREPAREDNESS:
>Why tornado sirens aren't your only warning tool
>The difference between Severe Vs. Enhanced Risk
>Tornado vs. Straight Line Winds
>Watches & Warnings: What's the difference?
>DUCK: Severe weather readiness
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