CW3E Adds New Radiosonde Launch Site at Grays Harbor College

April 22, 2026

The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) Field Team members Douglas Alden (R&D Engineer) and Subin Yoon (Field Operations Manager) inaugurated a new radiosonde launch site at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, WA (USGHC; 46.9525°N, 123.8024°W), on February 6, 2026. This is CW3E’s second launch site in Washington; the first is located at the McMillin Reservoir in Puyallup, WA (USTAC; 47.1338°N, 122.2569°W). Together, these sites provide flexibility to launch from either a coastal or more inland location, depending on the forecasted storm trajectory. Several students and staff joined in to launch together the morning of Super Bowl Sunday, bringing luck to the Seahawks to their win that afternoon.

Google Earth map with the two Washington CW3E radiosonde launch sites: coastal launch site at Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen (USGHC) and a more inland launch site at McMillin Reservoir in Puyallup (USTAC).

There had been strong interest in a coastal launch site in Washington in support for Howard A. Hanson Dam (HAHD) Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) project, prompting discussions and site visits with Grays Harbor College over the past few years. Thanks to coordination between the CW3E Field Team, Aaron Coby (Dean of Arts, Sciences and Extended Learning), and Travis Obias (Building and Grounds Supervisor) at Grays Harbor College, agreements were finalized in November 2025 and the new launch site was prepared and brought online in time for the early February storm event.

Left: Douglas Alden (CW3E) launching the first radiosonde at USGHC. Right: Douglas and Subin Yoon (CW3E) with local volunteers Holly Duff (GHC) and Justin Hansen (GHC) for the Super Bowl Sunday launch.

The new launch location, USGHC, is strategically important for capturing upstream atmospheric conditions associated with incoming Pacific storm systems, improving characterization of atmospheric rivers and reducing forecast uncertainty for HAHD FIRO operations. During the 2026 water year, the CW3E Field Team sampled two storm events at USGHC, launching a total of 30 radiosondes. More information about our radiosonde data can be found at https://cw3e.ucsd.edu/cw3e_radiosondes/.

CW3E is grateful for the strong partnerships with Grays Harbor College and support from Tacoma Water that made this new launch site possible.

Left: Flint Largin (GHC) releasing a radiosonde for one of the March soundings. Right: Ricardo Vilela (CW3E) monitoring a radiosonde after its release.