Mistaking weather balloon components for explosive devices

FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin,The, March, 2008

Civilians and law enforcement officers--including first responders--sometimes misidentify the expended electronics and communications components of National Weather Service (NWS) weather balloons as suspicious or possible explosive devices. The components, called radiosondes, are harmless. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have no intelligence indicating that terrorists intend to use radiosondes as bomb components or as disguises for bombs.

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False Alarms

The NWS launches approximately 75,000 weather balloons each year, the majority of which never are recovered. When a balloon bursts at high altitude, as designed, the radiosonde is released to return to earth, slowed by a small parachute. Radiosondes carry NWS markings and instructions to finders on how to mail them to NWS. About 20 percent of expended radiosondes are returned each year. In several cases, individuals discovering radiosondes have misidentified them as explosives, resulting in costly security responses and population anxiety.

* On May 1, 2007, a truck driver spotted a suspicious item, which had wires and batteries protruding, on top of a cargo container at the South Carolina State Ports Authority's terminal. Officials blocked access to parts of the port for 2 hours while investigating the device, finally determining that it was a radiosonde. (1)

* A U.S. Postal Service clerk observed a suspicious item inside a collection box on December 7, 2006, in Tavernier, Florida. The clerk initially feared the item was some type of explosive device. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office bomb squad disrupted the item before identifying it as a radiosonde. (2)

* The Massachusetts State Police bomb squad investigated a report of a suspicious package on a road in Upton on August 2, 2002. They blocked a 1-mile section of the road for 90 minutes as the bomb squad examined the package, which contained batteries and wiring, and determined that the package was part of a weather balloon. (3)

Recommendations

DHS and the FBI have no intelligence on terrorist knowledge of or intent to use radiosonde components in explosive devices or to disguise explosive devices as radiosondes. Nonetheless, in the interest of safety, first responders and law enforcement officers should take all standard precautions relating to the handling of potential explosives when responding to what--upon full investigation--may turn out to be a harmless radiosonde. Training and familiarity with these components may enable authorities to expedite the identification of radiosondes as weather devices and preclude responders from reporting them as suspicious packages. Awareness of the appearance and components of radiosondes can help resolve an incident more quickly with less law enforcement and media attention.

For additional information on weather balloons and their radiosonde components, contact the U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Public and Constituent Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20230. Or, visit a local NWS office, or access http://www.ua.nws.noaa.gov.

Suspicious Activities

Recipients should immediately report suspicious or criminal activities potentially related to terrorism to their local FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the DHS National Operations Center (NOC). FBI regional phone numbers are online at http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm. The NOC can be reached via telephone at 202-282-8101 or by e-mail at HSCenter@dhs.gov.

Endnotes

(1) Peter Hull, "Weather Device Causes Bomb Scare," The Post and Courier, http://www.charleston.net/news/2007/may/04/weather_device_causes_bomb_scare/.> (2) FBI Miami Division electronic communication, "Suspicious Package, US Post Box, Tavernier, Florida," December 7, 2006.

(3) "Weather Balloon Spurs Bomb Scare," The Boston Herald, August 3, 2002.

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