Meaning & use
Pibal
Last updated
A small balloon released to track wind speed and direction at various altitudes by observing its flight path; short for 'pilot balloon'.
See it in a sentence
The weather station launched a pibal at dawn to measure upper-level winds.
Technicians tracked the pibal through a theodolite to calculate wind shear.
A note on using this word
A blend of 'pilot balloon', pibal is standard shorthand in meteorology, especially before radar and satellite tracking became widespread.
Words with a similar meaning
pilot balloon
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Pibal”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.