Cloud Seeding

Cloud seeding is the process of releasing particles into clouds to encourage rain. Several states, notably California, have attempted it in order to mitigate droughts. However, the military has experimented with cloud vision in the past for a variety of reasons.

Back in 2001, it was found that catastrophic floods in 1952, which killed 35 people, was caused by a rainmaking experiment conducted by the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. North Devon received 250 times their usual rainfall in one month. People claimed that it dropped from the sky so forcefully that it burned their skin, and that entire structures were carried away in the torrents.

The experiment entailed directly pouring dry ice into clouds. Planes went through them, dumped their payloads, and then waited for it to rain 30 minutes later. The tests were designed to determine if cloud seeding might be used for military purposes, such as impeding enemy movements or making rivers impassable. The tests were terminated following the flooding and fatalities.

Year of Experiment: N/A