-------- Original Message --------
On or about 00:00 UTC February 9, 2010, the NOAA National Weather
Service upper air office at Wallops Island, Virgina (WMO# 72402), will
transition from the Lockheed Martin Mark II LORAN radiosonde to the
Lockheed Martin, LMS-6 radiosonde using GPS to obtain winds aloft. The
LMS-6 uses a chip thermistor and capacitive relative humidity sensor.
Nearly all LORAN transmitters in the United States will be shut-off on
February 8, 2010. After this date, Albany, New York (WMO# 72518), will
be the only NWS upper air station that uses LORAN to obtain winds aloft
data. The office has tried to use the Canadian LORAN network to obtain
winds, but has so far been unsuccessful. Until further notice soundings
issued from Albany may not include winds aloft.
Questions on the radiosonde transition should be directed to Joseph
Facundo, Observing Systems Branch Chief, at Joseph.Facundo@xxxxxxxx
<mailto:Joseph.Facundo@xxxxxxxx>