Upper-air Station Performance Graphics

Below are links to histograms showing average NWS upper-air station performance, by NWS Region, for the past 3 months. These graphs can be helpful in determining why a station received a high or low ranking score. 

Timeliness - Percentage of radiosonde observations (RAOBS) received by NCEP within 3 hours after balloon release (by 14:00 or 02:00 UTC) . All coded messages must be received within this time limit. Click here for network trends in data received at NCEP.

% to 400 hPa - Percentage of RAOBS reaching or exceeding the 400 hPa (about 7 km) level.

% to 20 hPa - Percentage of RAOBS reaching or exceeding the 20 hPa (about 26 km) level.

Rejected Temperatures - Percentage of RAOB temperature levels between surface and 400 hPa rejected by NCEP.

Rejected Winds - Percentage of RAOB wind levels between 399 and 100 hPa rejected by NCEP.

Balloon Rise Rates - NEW Percentage of soundings archived at NCDC that have balloon rise rates outside required limits (below 275 meters/min and above 350 meters/minute). 

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