Did a Cloud-Seeding Startup Truly Boost Snowfall in Utah? An Investigation

Utah and several western states are grappling with severe snow droughts, raising urgent concerns about escalating wildfires and declining water levels in the critical Colorado River. A pioneering startup claims that by releasing negatively charged aerosols into clouds, it has managed to boost snowfall by 20% across some Utah mountain ranges.

Rain Enhancement Technologies conducted a comparative study of snowfall between the La Sal Mountains and the Abajo Mountains, located 70 kilometers to the south, during five recent dry winters. In January, while operating a high-voltage ionization array upwind of the La Sal Mountains, the company noted an unexpected nine centimeters more snow than anticipated based on the snowfall data from the Abajo Mountains.

However, scientists urge caution, indicating that these observed results might be coincidental and that it is premature to assess the technology’s overall effectiveness.

“While cloud seeding methods have been implemented for years, our approach offers an alternative to enhance precipitation without the need for chemicals,” explains the company’s meteorologist, Jeff Chagnon. “You can activate it from anywhere in the world without needing to fly into the clouds, typically running it for about 48 hours.”

The United Nations has signaled that the world is approaching an era of “water bankruptcy,” with three out of four individuals potentially facing water scarcity or pollution issues. In contrast, countries like Iran, grappling with severe water shortages that have incited protests, are attempting to induce rainfall by dispersing salts like silver iodide from aircraft. Currently, nine U.S. states are known to conduct cloud seeding programs.

Nonetheless, public apprehension about potential health risks linked to the substantial amounts of silver iodide released, along with conspiracy theories surrounding “chemtrails,” contribute to a growing distrust of climate modification initiatives. In fact, cloud seeding is either banned or under scrutiny for potential bans in ten U.S. states.

Rain Enhancement Technologies employs a system that passes 10,000 volts of electricity through coiled wires suspended between two 8-meter pylons. Tiny aerosols, such as dust, soot, and salt, acquire electrons as they pass near these wires, similar to how static electricity builds up on your body when you walk on a carpet. Wind subsequently carries these ionized particles into the clouds.

In the clouds, water naturally condenses around aerosols, forming droplets that can collide and coalesce. When they stick together, they fall as rainfall. However, many smaller droplets typically remain suspended due to upward air currents.

Charged droplets can interact even when they possess the same charge. The negative side of one droplet attracts the positive side of another, creating an electric polarity that enhances collision rates. When droplets coalesce around the negatively charged aerosols from Rain Enhancement Technologies, their increased interactions lead to enhanced rainfall, Chagnon explained.

Although this technique cannot create clouds or induce upward air movement, “we can effectively extract additional water from existing clouds,” notes Chagnon.

Evidence from the Cold War indicates that electrical charges can enlarge cloud droplets. A 2020 study revealed a 24% increase in precipitation day over day in the Shetland Islands, UK, attributable to ionized air resulting from a nuclear bomb test. When radioactive ionization occurred, cloud dynamics were altered.

Trials conducted by Rain Enhancement Technologies in Oman from 2013 to 2018 reported precipitation increases of 10-14%. Additionally, an experiment in China that employed negative ion dispersion showed a 20% increase in precipitation.

Nevertheless, the World Meteorological Organization cautions that while salt diffusion in winter clouds has been documented to influence precipitation, the ionization method still lacks robust scientific validation.

“It’s fascinating that their findings align with observable changes in cloud behavior,” remarks Edward Grispeed from Imperial College London. “However, factors influencing precipitation, including snowfall and rainfall, are highly variable; thus, the chances of their results being coincidental cannot be dismissed.”

Rain Enhancement Technologies acknowledges that the five dry winters used as a baseline for assessment may not adequately represent the natural variability in snowfall from season to season, says Jeff French from the University of Wyoming.

“I recommend awaiting further experimental investigations and more extended data to confirm the viability of ionization as a snowfall catalyst,” adds Ibrahim Oloud from Mutah University in Jordan.