People are mostly interested in the weather at ground level. But the weather mostly happens aloft, and it is important to find out what's going on overhead. Twice a day, a balloon is launched...and carries with it a device (radiosonde) that measures temperature, humidity, and wind speed/direction as the balloon ascends. This occurs at National Weather Service offices nationwide...including Little Rock.

	The Little Rock office was awarded a (Southern) Regional Isaac M. Cline Award for its launching efforts in 2004...and its exemplary upper air scores (i.e. each flight is scored based on the height the balloon reaches before it breaks and the quality of data collected during the flight). The award was received on February 16, 2005.
In the picture: The Regional Isaac M. Cline Award.

In the picture: The Southern Region of the National Weather Service.

In the picture: Michael Reid (left), a hydrometeorological technician (HMT) with the National Weather Service in Little Rock, accepts a Regional Isaac M. Cline Award on behalf of the office upper air team on February 16, 2005. The award was presented by Camille Dyer, Chief of Management and Budget Services at the Southern Region Headquarters in Fort Worth, TX. Click to enlarge.	In the picture: Jimmy Russell (right), Data Acquisition Program Manager (DAPM) with the National Weather Service in Little Rock, accepts an individual National Isaac M. Cline Award on September 2, 2005. Presenting the award was Bill Proenza, the Regional Director at the Southern Region Headquarters in Fort Worth, TX. Click to enlarge.
In the picture: Renee Fair (right), Meteorologist-in-Charge (MIC) with the National Weather Service in Little Rock, accepts the National Isaac M. Cline Award for the local office on September 2, 2005. Presenting the award was Bill Proenza, the Regional Director at the Southern Region Headquarters in Fort Worth, TX. Click to enlarge.
In April, 2005, it was learned that the Little Rock office was going to be recognized with a National Cline Award...something that staff members are very proud of! The national award was presented on September 2, 2005.

At the Little Rock office in 2004, lost flights were rare and upper air scores were higher than the national average in 10 of 12 months.
In the picture: Upper air scores (300 is perfect)  in 2004 at the National Weather Service in Little Rock (LZK) and the national average.