Catastrophic Floods in Texas Spark Cloud Seeding Talk in Arizona

Sometimes, even the possibility of being proven right is a hollow victory. Conspiracy theorists are dusting off their hypotheses as recent events have stirred up the debate over weather modification.

As I write this, the world has watched in horror as the catastrophic flash floods in Texas and New Mexico claimed over 120 lives in Texas alone, and three more in Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Is it True? Weather Modification Conspiracy Theories

I've been a longtime listener to a very famous syndicated overnight radio talk show. It seems that Art Bell and his cohorts, who've made claims about weather modification, might not be so out there after all.

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Conspiracy theories have linked the recent flooding to cloud seeding, but experts are debunking those claims, according to an article in Newsweek.

According to Wikipedia, cloud seeding "is a type of weather modification that aims to change the amount or type of precipitation, mitigate hail, or disperse fog...by dispersing substances into the air."

One company claims it has the technology to accomplish this, but insists it did not spark the weather pattern that led to the recent devastation.

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Is Cloud Seeding and Weather Modification Real?

I'm not sure if I'm more alarmed that CEO Augustus Doricko of the company Rainmaker stepped in to debunk the cloud seeding claims that theorists are asserting may have contributed to the massive rainfall, or if alarm bells are ringing because the industry exists at all.

According to their website, "Rainmaker provides water for farms, watersheds, and ecosystems, fortifying growth and stewarding the natural world." 

The company website doesn't use the term cloudseeding directly, but the CEO was upfront about their goals when discussing their technology in an interview with Fortune magazine last year. Their stated goal is to provide freshwater to farms, watersheds, and to mitigate drought and restore ecosystems. 

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Could Cloud Seeding Fight Arizona's Drought?

Cloud seeding is one of those fascinating ideas that sounds like science fiction, and for many years, it languished in the realm of conspiracy theorists who claimed the government was seeding clouds with chemtrails. Scientists have long insisted that those trails left by airplanes are nothing more than water vapor.

The technology to modify the weather, however, is very real. Arizona has been eyeing it as a potential tool to fight drought. The technique for cloud seeding to produce rain involves dispersing particles, such as silver iodide, into clouds to encourage rain or snow. Studies conducted in Wyoming have shown that it can increase precipitation by 5–10%.

The CEO of Rainmaker stands by his claim that they did not seed the clouds and cause the excessive rainfall that contributed to the disasters in Texas.

According to experts, cloud seeding can’t create storms from scratch, but scientists say the tech can enhance existing clouds under specific conditions, and ultimately sway weather patterns.

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Arizona: Cloud Seeding and Weather Modification

Right now, Arizona isn't actively running cloud seeding programs. However, agencies like the Salt River Project and Central Arizona Project are researching the feasibility of a program to enhance the weather, especially in the White Mountains. The goal is to enhance snowpack and improve water runoff, which would help replenish the Colorado River.

Even the prospect of this technology has been hotly debated. With the recent devastation, we may never get an answer that puts the conspiracy theories to rest.

There's no evidence that Arizona is currently conducting any type of weather modification or cloud seeding programs, but this may launch the conversation to the forefront. Will this be used to alleviate Arizona's long-standing drought? Time will tell.

Sources: Newsweek | Wikipedia | Fortune | ABC 15