The unit should not be placed on the ground at any time. 7.4 and Ref. For all non-standard observation times the release window, in regard to the recorded time of the observation, is from 30 minutes before to 29 minutes after the hour of assigned observation time. Release into Thunderstorms . For considerations of safety, a radiosonde shall not be released in or near thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms can degrade the radiosonde signal, which results in early termination of the flight.
Also, the resulting data provides profiles that are unrepresentative of the synoptic pattern. Chapter 4 describes how thunderstorms can affect the telemetered data quality. Delayed Release . The radiosonde should be released within the officially prescribed time limits. If a release is delayed beyond the time limit, careful consideration should be given to replacing the battery to preclude battery failure during flight.