radiosonde
noun
ra·dio·sonde
ˈrā-dē-ō-ˌsänd 
plural radiosondes
: a miniature radio transmitter that is carried aloft (as by an unpiloted balloon) with instruments for sensing and broadcasting atmospheric conditions
Examples of radiosonde in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their path is somewhat ad hoc, determined by where the wind blows them, whereas radiosondes collect data in a line rising from a location that stays the same for each launch.
—
Meg Wilcox, Wired News, 9 Aug. 2025
One potential use is as a lightweight, reusable radiosonde for weather monitoring.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Aug. 2025
Beginning in the 1930s, devices called radiosondes allowed the same data to be transmitted instantly in real time.
—Carol Sutton Lewis, Scientific American, 18 June 2025
The radiosonde acts like an all-in-one weather station, beaming back details of the temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and air pressure every 15 feet through its flight.
—Chris Vagasky, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
Russia once tried to cut its radiosonde launches in half, from January to April 2015, and European forecasters saw a decline in their model’s forecast quality.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2025
The more radiosondes are reduced or suspended, the more noticeable the forecast skill reduction becomes.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
Typically, the agency launches the balloons, which are outfitted with weather instruments known as radiosondes, twice a day.
—Andrew Freedman, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
The Yuba County project also benefits in advanced insight into the amounts of snow versus rain that falls during a storm that the radiosondes and other weather instruments capture.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2025
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Meg Wilcox, Wired News, 9 Aug. 2025
One potential use is as a lightweight, reusable radiosonde for weather monitoring.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 8 Aug. 2025
Beginning in the 1930s, devices called radiosondes allowed the same data to be transmitted instantly in real time.
—Carol Sutton Lewis, Scientific American, 18 June 2025
The radiosonde acts like an all-in-one weather station, beaming back details of the temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and air pressure every 15 feet through its flight.
—Chris Vagasky, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
Russia once tried to cut its radiosonde launches in half, from January to April 2015, and European forecasters saw a decline in their model’s forecast quality.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2025
The more radiosondes are reduced or suspended, the more noticeable the forecast skill reduction becomes.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
Typically, the agency launches the balloons, which are outfitted with weather instruments known as radiosondes, twice a day.
—Andrew Freedman, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025
The Yuba County project also benefits in advanced insight into the amounts of snow versus rain that falls during a storm that the radiosondes and other weather instruments capture.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Radiosonde.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/radiosonde. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
radiosonde
noun
ra·dio·sonde
ˈrād-ē-ō-ˌsänd
: a miniature radio transmitter that is carried aloft (as by a balloon) with instruments for sensing and broadcasting atmospheric conditions
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