UND Joins Universities Across North America Supporting Global Weather Forecasting Effort

(Contributed image via UND Today)

(By Adam Kurtz. UND Today) -The University of North Dakota is among 16 universities across North America participating in the Coordinated University Sounding Program for Atmospheric River Reconnaissance (CUSP-ARR), a collaborative research effort aimed at improving global weather forecasts.

Led by the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, CUSP-ARR launched its second season in January during the 2025–26 water year. The program will run through late February and engages universities in the U.S. and Canada in collecting observations to study atmospheric rivers and other high-impact weather events.

CUSP-ARR is the land-based component of Atmospheric River Reconnaissance (AR Recon), a Research and Operations Partnership led by CW3E, NOAA and the U.S. Air Force in collaboration with federal agencies and international institutions. The program focuses on launching weather balloons equipped with radiosondes — high-tech sensors that collect atmospheric data — in coordination with AR Recon missions.

Hands-on learning for UND students CUSP-ARR is powered by teams of faculty, staff and students in university meteorology and atmospheric science programs. At UND, students are involved in launch planning, weather balloon deployment and tracking radiosonde data through the upper atmosphere. Participants also join daily AR Recon briefings to observe how teams across agencies coordinate forecasting and research efforts in real time.