Go Back
  • For Business
  • |
  • Warnings
  • Data Suite
  • Newsletters
  • Advertising
  • Superior Accuracy™
24 dead, dozens of girls at camp missing after catastrophic flooding in Texas. Read the latest Chevron right
Tropical Storm Chantal forms in Atlantic before landfall in South Carolina. Get details Chevron right

Columbus, OH

90°F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Columbus

Ohio

90°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Columbus, OH Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

For Business

Warnings

Data Suite

Newsletters

Advertising

Superior Accuracy™

Video

Winter Center

AccuWeather Early Hurricane Center Top Stories Trending Today Astronomy Heat Climate Health Recreation In Memoriam Case Studies Blogs & Webinars
Air Quality Alert

News / Weather News

High-altitude balloon takes path to Carolina coastline

First spotted over Montana, AccuWeather meteorologists provided insight on the balloon's path, which is expected to continue into the Atlantic Ocean Saturday afternoon.

By Adriana Navarro, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Feb 3, 2023 9:52 PM EDT | Updated Feb 4, 2023 3:27 PM EDT

Copied

Based on atmospheric winds, we can track the potential path of the balloon that China says is a civilian craft for meteorological research.

After days of traversing the United States, images showed the suspected Chinese high-altitude balloon over the Carolinas Saturday morning, first over Asheville, North Carolina, and then near Charlotte.

Saturday afternoon, the balloon is expected to drift off of the Carolina coast into the Atlantic Ocean, where potential United States national defense action may take place, with the presence of military aircraft noted through flight-tracking websites. According to CNN, the Pentagon has not confirmed that any of the U.S. military aircraft in the area is related to defense action regarding the balloon.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for airports in Wilmington, North Carolina, as well as Charleston, South Carolina, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, "to support the Department of Defense in a national security effort," with airspace near Myrtle Beach also restricted between 12:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. EST.

AccuWeather meteorologists have analyzed the possible path of the suspected Chinese high-altitude balloon that was spotted over the Billings, Montana, area on Wednesday evening and then over the central Plains at the end of the week.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed Friday that the balloon is a "civilian airship" used mainly for weather research that had strewn from its planned course, CNN reported. The statement was the first admission that the balloon had originated in China since the Pentagon had announced it was tracking the airship on Thursday.

"It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological, purposes. Affected by the Westerlies and with limited self-steering capability, the airship deviated far from its planned course. The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into US airspace due to force majeure," the Chinese foreign ministry said, according to CNN.

A high-altitude balloon floats over Billings, Mont., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023. The U.S. is tracking a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that has been spotted over U.S. airspace for a couple of days, but the Pentagon decided not to shoot it down due to risks of harm to people on the ground, officials said Thursday. (Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP)

“We are not aware of weather balloons that have the reported characteristics of this large, high-altitude balloon," AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.

While the exact altitude is unclear, high-altitude balloons typically fly around 60,000 feet or higher -- a level at which the balloons fly above the jet stream -- or the fast-moving current of air that guides the movement of weather systems -- and above the altitude commercial airlines would fly.

Porter pointed out that if the balloon was flying at an altitude greater than 70,000 feet, it could have taken a track to the west from Montana instead of traversing the central and eastern United States.

"Weather balloons are used in a variety of ways to monitor current atmospheric conditions and collect data for research," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan DePodwin said.

These balloons record everything from temperature, humidity and wind speed, which can be used by weather forecast models to predict the movement of weather systems.

"At some point, typically after the balloon reaches over 50,000 feet, the balloon bursts and the small payload of weather instruments fall slowly back to earth," DePodwin said. "There are also weather balloons that stay aloft for longer periods of time at higher altitudes with some able to maneuver between altitudes. These also measure the atmosphere and are typically for research purposes."

Related:

What to know about the suspected Chinese spy balloon
Mount Washington’s astonishing RealFeel Temp in record territory
January 2023 warmest on record for New York City

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app.AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Weather News

24 dead in Texas, 25 girls from Camp Mystic missing in flooding

Jul. 5, 2025
video

Rescuers save person clinging to an electric pole amid Texas floods

Jul. 4, 2025
Weather News

Record sargassum seaweed piles up on Caribbean islands, Gulf

Jul. 2, 2025
Weather News

Alabama teen in ICU after lightning strike hits boat, causing burns an...

Jul. 2, 2025
Show more Show less Chevron down

Topics

AccuWeather Early

Hurricane Center

Top Stories

Trending Today

Astronomy

Heat

Climate

Health

Recreation

In Memoriam

Case Studies

Blogs & Webinars

Top Stories

Weather News

24 dead in Texas, 25 girls from Camp Mystic missing in flooding

4 hours ago

Hurricane

Chantal to make landfall in South Carolina Sunday morning

1 hour ago

Severe Weather

Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend

7 hours ago

Severe Weather

Storms kill 3 in New Jersey, knock out power across Northeast

1 day ago

Weather Forecasts

Heat, humidity return to the East

1 hour ago

More Stories

Featured Stories

Weather News

Wildfires are tearing through a popular tourist hotspot in Greece

1 day ago

Weather News

‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession

18 hours ago

Travel

Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021

4 days ago

Weather News

What makes fireworks burst with vibrant colors?

18 hours ago

Health

There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows

2 days ago

AccuWeather Weather News High-altitude balloon takes path to Carolina coastline
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs AccuWeather Connect RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™ Personal Weather Stations
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Winter Center
© 2025 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | About Your Privacy Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

...

...

...