'It was amazing': Elementary kids launch weather balloon in Arroyo Grande

Branch Elementary School students picked up some first-hand experience in meteorology Tuesday when they launched a weather balloon.

The Arroyo Grande school added a weather station in 2016 that measures temperatures, rainfall, wind speed and direction, humidity, barometric pressure and solar radiation, thanks to a grant from PG&E.

Using data from that station, Branch students predicted where they thought the balloon would go immediately after being released, and once it reached a few thousand feet of altitude.

They each also got the chance to hold the balloon (with an adult holding the other side) to feel how buoyant it was.

PG&E meteorologist John Lindsey and a representative of the Vandenberg Air Force Base Weather Unit were on hand to help with the launch.

This story was originally published March 6, 2018 at 7:43 PM with the headline "'It was amazing': Elementary kids launch weather balloon in Arroyo Grande."