"John R. Copeland" wrote in
:

I supposed balloons were used only for atmospheric sounding anymore.
I didn't know they were still used *anywhere* as a substitute for
ceilometers. I'm pretty sure I remember ceilometers being deployed 45
or more years ago.

Nope, they're still around. Balloons are a lot cheaper than ceilometers,
especially if you only need an exact ceiling now and then.

--
Regards,

Stan