Can cloud seeding be used to fight fires?

It should rise to heights that produce super-cooled liquid water; It should not produce any ice; and. The rise of moist air must be sustained. Generally these conditions are not met under fire conditions; therefore cloud seeding is not a viable option for fighting most fires.

Is it possible to make it rain in California?

Actually, California has a long history of both research into and the actual practice of weather modification going back some 70 years. California’s current cloud seeding projects increase its water supply by 4 percent a year. Cloud seeding turns out to be an extraordinarily cheap source of extra water.

What is cloud seeding and how is it done?

Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that improves a cloud’s ability to produce rain or snow by artificially adding condensation nuclei to the atmosphere, providing a base for for snowflakes or raindrops to form.

Who made it rain?

Known as the Rainmaker, Charles Hatfield was a folk legend who claimed that he successfully made it rain more than 500 times around the world. His rainmaking abilities nearly destroyed San Diego County in 1916 during a month-long torrential downpour and flood.

When was cloud seeding first used?

1946
The first experiments with cloud seeding were conducted in 1946 by American chemist and meteorologist Vincent J. Schaefer, and since then seeding has been performed from aircraft, rockets, cannons, and ground generators.

Does Canada seed clouds?

Canada. During the sixties, Irving P. Krick & Associates operated a successful cloud seeding operation in the area around Calgary, Alberta. This utilized both aircraft and ground-based generators that pumped silver iodide into the atmosphere in an attempt to reduce the threat of hail damage.

What chemical is used in cloud seeding?

silver iodide
Most cloud seeding operations, including those run by DRI, use a compound called silver iodide (AgI) to aid in the formation of ice crystals. Silver iodide exists naturally in the environment at low concentrations, and is not known to be harmful to humans or wildlife.

How do you make it rain in real life?

How to (Try to) Make It Rain

1. Seeding the Sky. The most widely used weather-modification technique is probably cloud seeding, which involves priming clouds with particles of silver iodide.
2. Rain Rockets. Airplanes aren’t the only way to seed clouds.
3. The Atmosphere Zapper.
4. Ice-Breaking Booms.
5. Riding the Lightning.

How can you make it rain?

How did Charles Hatfield make it rain?

By 1902 he had created a secret mixture of 23 chemicals in large galvanized evaporating tanks that, he claimed, attracted rain. Hatfield called himself a “moisture accelerator”. A number of Los Angeles ranchers saw his ads in newspapers and promised Hatfield $50 to produce rain.

What is the state of California doing about the wildfires?

Gilless listed some the other major steps the state is taking. Cal Fire, or the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, is investing in expanding its air fleet, especially the C-130 aerial suppression aircraft, and is upgrading its helicopter fleet.

Why did Los Angeles seed clouds with silver iodide for rain?

In Los Angeles County, this week’s rainfall was beneficial to fighting the drought in Southern California, but officials wanted to ensure they maximized the amount of precipitation that fell during the event. So they seeded the clouds with silver iodide, according to the L.A. Times, in an effort to draw even more rainfall from the skies.

How can we finance projects to prevent wildfires?

Gilless noted that experiments are also taking place with innovative bond offerings to finance projects to help prevent wildfires. One is a $4 million “forest-resilience bond” created by the nonprofit World Resources Institute and start-up Blue Forest Conservation, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Does cloud seeding really work?

Lynn Russell, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at Scripps Institute, told NBC San Diego that there’s “no scientist who actually thinks that cloud seeding works.” She insists that there has been no scientific increase in rainfall totals when the seeding techniques are used.