Question about unidentified flying object (possible balloon)

I can't believe I am posting this but what I saw doesn't really make sense.
I am not claiming that this is extra-terrestrial or a secret government aircraft.
I also do not have pictures because I am currently at my store and do not have a camera available.

I am in Cleveland, Ohio and about 5 minutes ago I stepped outside to have a cigarette and noticed quite a few contrails blowing by at a nice pace probably only a few thousand feet up. I know these are from airliners coming in or leaving Hopkins airport. But traveling parallel to a contrail pointing east and west was a small white spherical object.

At first I thought it was a balloon but then I noticed while the contrails were blowing from the west to the east this thing was moving from east to west. The object was not stationary to the buildings but actually moved westward at a slow pace keeping an equal distance from the edge of the contrail.

I am still leaning towards balloon but I have never seen a balloon move against the wind currents. Is there any rational explanation for this??

reply to post by 1Angrylightbulb


Wish I could help with identification, but all I can add is I also saw what I thought was a balloon drifting with the wind...until it made a 90 deg. turn into the prevailing wind, then slowly disappeared.

This was not recent however, it was a few years ago in Missouri.

reply to post by MrPenny


Well at least I know I'm not crazy then. I just wish I had a explanation on how it is possible because I know what I saw and it just isn't making sense.

reply to post by 1Angrylightbulb


One possibility is the "balloon" was at a different altitude and thereby caught different winds. There can be several different layers of wind blowing in differing directions at any moment.

Just a possibility.

Springer...

reply to post by Springer


Thanks for the reply, that does sound plausible as an explanation to what I witnessed. I've never seen that happen before which probably explains the confusion I had when I saw it moving along through the sky.