What is the difference between a “radiosonde” and a “rawinsonde” observation?
A radiosonde observation provides only pressure, temperature, and relative humidity data. When a radiosonde is tracked so that winds aloft are provided in addition to the pressure, temperature, and relative humidity data, it is called a rawinsonde observation. Most stations around the world take rawinsonde observations. However, meteorologists and other data users frequently refer to a rawinsonde observation as a radiosonde observation.
