Could cloud seeding help relieve drought in the West?

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Nov 12, 2013

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Could cloud seeding help relieve drought in the West?

Back in 1946, the idea of making rain was shrouded in magic and often fraud. Now, more than half a century later, cloud-seeding has been proven to work and be cost-effective.

EADS, CO - AUGUST 22: A cow walk on a dried-up pond in a drought-ravaged pasture on August 22, 2012 near Eads, Colorado. The severe drought has dried up most of eastern Colorado's natural grassland, forcing many ranchers to sell off much of their livestock early to feedlots, which fatten up the cattle for slaughter. More than 50 percent of high plains areas of eastern Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas are still in extreme or exceptional drought, despite recent lower temperatures, according to the University of Nebraska's Drought Monitor. The record-breaking drought, which has affected more than half of the continental United States, is expected to drive up food prices by 2013 due to lower crop harvests and the adverse effect on the nation's cattle industry. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Back in 1946, the idea of making rain was shrouded in magic and often fraud. Now, more than half a century later, cloud-seeding has been proven to work and be cost-effective.

Back in 1946, a scientist working for GE named Bernard Vonnegut (brother of the writer, Kurt Vonnegut) discovered that silver iodide could make clouds produce more rain.

At the time, the idea of making rain was shrouded in magic and often fraud, but more than half a century later, cloud-seeding has been proven to work and be cost-effective. Plus, with so much of the West facing drought conditions, trying to wring a little more moisture out of passing clouds is becoming more and more popular.

For more on this, we reached out to Dudley McFadden, a civil engineer with SMUD - the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.