Idaho
Weather balloons soar 100,000 feet to help NWS keep tabs on Idaho’s atmosphere
BOISE, Idaho — The National Weather Service (NWS) has many tools to keep everyone in Idaho informed about the forecast, but one device goes above all the others— literally.
Reaching heights of 100,000 feet above sea level, twice a day, every day, NWS sends weather balloons sky high to help track a number of statistics.
“They track the temperature, the humidity, and they are able to use their GPS circuitry to track wind direction and speed,” said Wasyl Hewko, a hydrometeorological technician who oversees balloon launches. “We want to get data not necessarily horizontally like we do for weather observation, but we want to get the vertical profile of the atmosphere.”
During the winter months, Hewko’s scheduled launches happen daily at 4 a.m. and 4 p.m. MT.
Check out the hydrogen-hauled weather tracker:
This National Weather Service tracker climbs 100,000+ feet
This isn’t a solo effort either. At the same time, across the world, hundreds of balloons are launched from 900 different sites— live tracking and building a visual guide of what the world’s atmosphere and weather patterns look like in real time.
Hewko says the ultimate goal is to build “a three-dimensional profile of the atmosphere [with] all this information worldwide.”
“This is the one time where the world is holding hands, I guess, as far as that goes, you know— everyone is in it to get this information, so we can have accurate forecast models,” added Hewko.
What’s especially fascinating is that as the weather balloon gains altitude, the density of the atmosphere decreases, which allows the balloon to grow to “an incredible size,” explained Hewko.
Ultimately, the balloon pops, but before it does, it can grow to be approximately the size of a two car garage.
If you want to see the balloons take flight, you can go to Sondehub.org to find out exactly where the launches take place on any given day.
BOISE, Idaho (Idaho Capital Sun) — Day use access fees at all Idaho state parks will be waived for Idaho residents on July 4 as part of a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, Gov. Brad Little announced Friday, as reported by the Idaho Capital Sun.
“As we prepare to mark 250 years of American independence, there is no better way to celebrate than by getting outside with our loved ones and enjoying the freedoms and natural treasures that define our great nation,” Little said Friday. “Idaho’s state parks showcase the very best of our state, and we are proud to welcome families, friends and visitors to explore them free of charge during this special occasion.”
While day use fees for Idaho residents will be waived, normal camping and reservation fees will apply, officials said.
Idaho has 28 state parks, which offer a variety of recreational and outdoor activities including hiking, horseback riding, skiing, bird watching, rock climbing, fishing, boating, swimming, bicycling and more.
State officials with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation are in the process of unveiling improvements and enhancements at several state parks, including Lucky Peak State Park outside of Boise, which recently opened a new dog beach and accessible kayak launch on the Boise River.
Other state parks include Bruneau Dunes State Park and Observatory, Harriman State Park, Bear Lake State Park and City of Rocks National Reserve, which is a national reserve and state park that attracts climbers from all over the world to its dramatic granite rock spires.
Little said the July 4 fee waiver is a part of a larger effort to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence being signed in 1776.
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We’re lucky to live in a place as safe as the Treasure Valley. Despite our growth, one of the things that makes our area so special is the way that we look out for one another–for our neighbors! That’s a principle that seems to have held on as Boise has boomed.
Despite low crime rates, there seems to always be one incident or so that makes us scratch our heads.
A recent string of fraud incidents in the Treasure Valley area is one of those.
Nampa Police initially warned the public of this because cases of fraud began to ‘mushroom’. Then, it took an interesting turn–people that HAD their credit cards were being ‘taken to the bank’, so to speak.
In a statement originally released on April 30th by the Nampa Police Department, officials advised the following:
We are not sure how the suspects are gaining access to the victim’s credit cards. There is a growing fraud scheme, “ghost tapping”, that scammers are using to access victims’ credit cards. This is possibly occurring in these instances. “Ghost tapping” uses stolen credit card details in Apple Pay or Google Pay, then remotely relays the tap signal over the internet to a ‘mule’ at a store, allowing them to make high-value purchases that appear completely legitimate. (We’ll share more information on ghost tapping in a later public service announcement that will also suggest ways to protect yourself.) The app used by these criminals obscures the actual credit card number, making it harder for investigators to link a victim to a particular crime. Keep in mind that victims still have their physical credit cards while suspects use the stolen card information to make purchases, which also affects how victims are alerted. So far, local investigators have not been able to identify a common theme among the victims (e.g., a specific bank, a website they visited, a gas pump they used, etc.) in the fraud cases we are investigating.
The investigation spans far and wide.
Authorities say that some suspects are in custody, others are being contacted, and others are still at large.
Now, a week later, the police are back to reaching out to the public–this time, urging people to check their bank accounts.
Nampa Police say that they have caught onto a pattern– there are fraudulent charges at Albertson’s to purchase gift cards, at Costco to purchase Apple products, and at Best Buy, also for Apple products.
Check those bank statements!
Inside The Arrest of 3 Venezuelan Fraudsters
What on earth was happening in Eagle this week?
Gallery Credit: Credit: Mateo, 103.5 KISS FM
It’s Not Hard To See Why This Idaho Police Photoshoot Is Going Viral
The Jerome Police Department is going viral thanks to Twin Falls photographer, Layton Henderson. Once you see the hilarious photos, you’ll see why!
Gallery Credit: Chris Cardenas
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