What's Going On In The Skies Above You

Is cloud seeding happening everywhere? It seems so. Just this week, on February 28th, 2025, I saw some odd activity in the skies. Figuring that it was military flights going into the stratosphere I shrugged off the sighting. Later, I received a message showing that some may believe there are cloud-seeding operations in the United States.

We've all heard about cloud seeding, but what is it? In short, cloud seeding is a process of weather manipulation. It's one of those areas where fiction meets science and then gets used to change our weather. The things we can do today are awe-inspiring compared to only 40, 30, and even 20 years ago.

Cloud seeding occurs when chemicals are dispersed in the air to change how clouds produce moisture. Governments conduct cloud seeding operations hoping to alter the weather in a chosen area. It's a globally practiced operation. China, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Mexico are a few countries developing and utilizing cloud seeding.

California, Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota, Utah, and Idaho utilize cloud-seeding processes to shore up water supplies and help farmers with irrigation. The process can turn arid landscapes into healthy and productive green fields. Other states are using cloud-seeding to replenish rivers and reservoirs. As a generational drought emptied reservoirs and depleted rivers out west, states such as Texas, Idaho, California, Utah, and Wyoming relied on cloud-seeding to mitigate the problems.

Cloud-seeding has been around for a while. The earliest experiments in cloud seeding were in 1946. Since then, the process has evolved and now is done with aircraft, rockets, cannons, and ground generators. As long as it's been around, what are the risks?

There are numerous reasons to cloud seed. But, it's important to know the risks of using such science. Manipulating our weather is daunting, and whenever chemicals and substances are infused into our environment there are important questions to ask. For example, when using silver iodide, it's believed that prolonged exposure or heavy contact can cause incapacitation.

Another thing to consider is the effects of effective cloud seeding. Playing with Mother Nature's grand design is a move toward acting like God. Yes, there are desperate needs for such science, and science includes sacrifice. What's the acceptable cost?

The effectiveness of cloud seeding more food growth, elevated water supplies, and a better existence for humanity in a time when our climate is changing and we're dealing with the effects of global warming.

What if the effect of cloud seeding goes awry? Excessive rainfall could cause widespread flooding in regions, mudslides, and other weather-related catastrophes. People die every year in flash floods, homes and businesses are wiped off the map, and the damages can cost billions of dollars. Cloud seeding may have long-term effects on the ecosystems exposed.

There would have to be safety precautions taken during cloud seeding operations. That would include having strict guidelines to minimize potential risks and responsible controls over the substances used and working with other authorities.

Cloud seeding is an important tool in an arsenal of tools that are available for improved sustainability. That's the sustainability of the human race. As global warming and global climate change show average temperatures elevated around the world, even the United States is recently coming out of a generational drought. Countries in Africa, Saudi Arabia, and India have a more arid, dry climate, and cloud seeding could make life easier and help combat food sustainability problems.

What was once thought impossible, mere generations ago, is now happening around the world as human ingenuity continues to grow. What problems might we be able to conquer someday? If we can learn to manipulate the weather on our planet, we can hope to create a better world for all.