00:00Hot air balloons are putting on a show this week. This is the glow that captivates many during the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. It is the largest balloon festival in the world with 600 hot air balloons. Believe it or not, the festival got its start with just 13 balloons in 1972. Now you might be asking yourself why Albuquerque? There is something special to Albuquerque as to why the balloons come here. But first, let's break down what a balloon needs in order to work its way through the world.
00:30Typically, we want to see those balloons launch on either early morning or evening time frames. Cooler air at that point in time is close to the ground. It's more stable atmosphere for us, which means unlike the middle of the day when the sun is heating the ground and then that warm air towards the ground bubbles up and blisters up into thermals and a lot of erratic winds, it's a lot easier to navigate if you're when that more stable atmosphere at the start or end of the day. Now Albuquerque itself, I told you there's something special with it. You have this looking
00:59looking off towards the east and the Sandia Mountains off towards the east of downtown. We also have this valley here and it gradually slopes downward towards downtown Albuquerque by about 100 feet. So when we cool off the surface, that cold air is more dense, it's going to flow down the river. And because of that, then if you put a balloon up in this cool air right near the surface, it's actually going to work its way southward. But then if you raise the balloon up high, you're going to find a whole different flow pattern
01:29north. It's a southerly warm wind aloft and that's what's going to carry your balloon backwards to the north. Then of course you can let some air out and of course allow that balloon to lower. This allows balloonists to land their balloons in the same spot that they took off in. It's known as the Albuquerque box and is unique to Albuquerque.
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