Latest news with #cloudseeding
TechCrunch
2 days ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Rainmaker partners with Atmo to squeeze more rain from clouds
Cloud seeding startup Rainmaker is partnering with Atmo, an AI-powered meteorology startup, the companies exclusively told TechCrunch. The two operate on complementary ends of the weather system: Atmo studies atmospheric patterns to forecast weather events, while Rainmaker digests such data in an attempt to squeeze more precipitation out of weather systems. Under the partnership, Atmo will use its deep learning models to help Rainmaker identify clouds that have potential for seeding. The forecasting startup will also offer Rainmaker's cloud seeding services, deployed via small drones, to its customers. For its part, Rainmaker will contribute data from its proprietary radar system to determine how much rain the clouds produced. Rainmaker has been in the news of late, targeted by conspiracy theorists who claim that the startup's cloud seeding operations in Texas played a role in recent floods in the state. But according to several scientists TechCrunch spoke with, that's simply not possible. 'Somebody is looking for somebody to blame,' Bob Rauber, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois, told TechCrunch last week. Techcrunch event Save up to $475 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $450 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW Though cloud seeding can nudge clouds to drop more precipitation, it's a small amount compared with the size of a storm. One well-documented case in Idaho released an additional 186 million gallons of precipitation, which pales in comparison with the 'trillions of gallons of water' a large storm will process, Rauber said. Cloud seeding is widely used throughout the Western United States, mostly to augment snowpack and boost the amount of water that ends up in reservoirs in the summer. While it's also used in places like West Texas to coax more rain from summer storms, the results have been modest. The West Texas Weather Modification Association, which Rainmaker has worked with previously, says that cloud seeding in the region has boosted precipitation by about 15%, or about two inches, per year. The likely reason for that is because the types of clouds floating over West Texas don't respond in the same way as clouds in mountainous regions like the Western U.S., Rauber said. Rainstorms are even less responsive, he added, since they're already primed to drop plenty of precipitation.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Debunking claim Rainmaker cloud seeding caused Texas floods
Claim: Rainmaker Technology Corporation's cloud seeding mission caused deadly flooding in parts of Texas over Fourth of July weekend in 2025. Rating: Context: Rainmaker did carry out a cloud seeding mission over south-central Texas on July 2, 2025, the company's CEO confirmed. But meteorologists said cloud seeding was not responsible for the powerful storms that led to deadly flooding in Texas. In the aftermath of deadly flash floods that swept through Texas Hill Country in July 2025, some people online suggested the storms may have been manufactured through a weather modification technique called cloud seeding. The cloud seeding operations were conducted by a company called Rainmaker Technology Corporation, the posts alleged. On July 5, 2025, one X user shared what appeared to be screenshots of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report on weather modification activities. The alleged report showed Rainmaker participated in "rain enhancement" in Texas. Similar claims suggesting Rainmaker's cloud seeding caused flooding in Texas circulated elsewhere on X and Instagram. Snopes readers also asked whether cloud seeding caused the Texas floods. Rainmaker did carry out a cloud seeding mission over the eastern part of south-central Texas on July 2, 2025, Augustus Doricko, the company's CEO, confirmed in a thread shared on X. But meteorologists said cloud seeding was not responsible for the powerful storms that led to deadly flooding in Texas. Therefore, we've rated this claim false. Doricko added that the company "did not operate in the affected area on the 3rd or 4th or contribute to the floods that occurred over the region." Cloud seeding is a "decades-old approach to modifying weather that uses a range of supporting technologies for research and operations," the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) explained in a December 2024 report. It is commonly used to increase precipitation or suppress hail, usually by adding tiny particles of silver iodide, the GAO said, citing NOAA. In an email to Snopes, a spokesperson for NOAA debunked claims that cloud seeding was to blame for the deadly Texas storms and resulting floods: The amount of precipitation created by cloud seeding is generally marginal and localized. Meteorologists agree cloud seeding could not generate precipitation of this magnitude or size. Cloud seeding does not add moisture to the atmosphere. This event could only have occurred if abundant moisture was already present. Two meteorologists also independently confirmed cloud seeding did not cause the powerful Texas storms and resulting floods. Travis Herzog, chief meteorologist at ABC13 in Houston, Texas, addressed the claims in a Facebook post on July 6, 2025. He wrote, in part: Cloud seeding cannot create a storm of this magnitude or size. In fact, cloud seeding cannot even create a single cloud. All it can do is take an existing cloud and enhance the rainfall by up to 20%. Most estimates have the rainfall enhancement in a much lower range. Herzog said he was not aware of any cloud seeding operations that occurred on July 3, 2025, but added that it is "physically impossible for that to have created this weather system." Remaining moisture from what was Tropical Storm Barry was "primarily responsible" for the flooding in Texas, Herzog said. "Upper level moisture" from what was once Hurricane Flossie in the Pacific also contributed to the flood event, he added. Jeremy Baker, a meteorologist at KENS 5 in San Antonio, Texas, agreed with Herzog's assessment. In an email to Snopes, he said: No, cloud seeding could not create a storm powerful enough to cause the flooding that occurred in the Hill Country. With optimal moisture and an existing cloud structure, cloud seeding would, at best, enhance rainfall by 10%-20%. This flood was caused by a natural atmospheric low that stalled over the area for several hours. The terrain and tributaries feeding into the Guadalupe only made the situation much worse, resulting in the devastating flood. Heavy flooding isn't uncommon in Texas Hill Country, where the deadly 2025 floods occurred, either. The region is one of the most flood-prone in the nation and has earned the nickname "Flash Flood Alley." The area's "weather and landscape distinctively work together to produce rapid flood events," Leslie Lee with the Texas Water Resources Institute wrote on its website. As far as cloud seeding is concerned, the NOAA spokesperson clarified that the federal agency "does not perform, study, monitor, fund or evaluate" such activities, adding: NOAA is required by law to track weather modification activities by others, including cloud seeding, but has no authority to regulate those activities Cloud seeding is typically practiced by private companies to help generate snow in western mountain bases in the winter or to replenish water reservoirs in the desert southwest in the summer, NOAA said on its website. Any company that intends to take part in weather modification activities within the U.S. is required to provide a report to NOAA at least 10 days beforehand, according to the agency. The NOAA spokesperson addressed the document that circulated on social media, saying it was a "copy of an initial activity report filed in February, noting a private organization's intention to hire a contractor to conduct cloud seeding between March and November." Doricko addressed claims that his company's practices contributed to the flooding in Texas. In an X post shared on July 5, 2025, he said, in part, "Rainmaker did not operate in the affected area on the 3rd or 4th or contribute to the floods that occurred over the region." Doricko confirmed that Rainmaker did seed clouds in south-central Texas on July 2, but said the company did not conduct any operations that could have impacted the floods. In his X post, Doricko wrote, in part: The last seeding mission prior to the July 4th event was during the early afternoon of July 2nd, when a brief cloud seeding mission was flown over the eastern portions of south-central Texas, and two clouds were seeded. The clouds "persisted for about two hours after seeding before dissipating" between 3 and 4 p.m. CDT, Doricko said. The typical lifespan of natural clouds is 30 minutes to a few hours, and it's rare for "even the most persistent storm systems" to maintain "the same cloud structure" for more than 12 to 18 hours, he added. Doricko said the clouds that were seeded on July 2, 2025, "dissipated over 24 hours prior to the developing storm complex that would produce the flooding rainfall" in Texas. He continued: A senior meteorologist observed an unusually high moisture content prior to the event's arrival, using NWS sounding data. It was at this point that our meteorologists determined that we would suspend future operations indefinitely. As you can see, we suspended operations on July 2nd, a day before the NWS issued any flood warning. X (Formerly Twitter), 5 July 2025, Accessed 8 July 2025. 6 July 2025, Accessed 8 July 2025. Staff, KENS. "Meet the KENS 5 Team: Jeremy Baker." KENS, 29 Dec. 2017, Accessed 8 July 2025. Jacobo, Julia, et al. "The History of 'Flash Flood Alley,' the Hilly Region in Texas Prone to Flooding Emergencies." ABC News, 7 July 2025, Accessed 8 July 2025. Lee, Leslie. "Do You Live in Flash Flood Alley? | TWRI." Accessed 8 July 2025. NOAA. "Fact Check: Debunking Weather Modification Claims." 23 Oct. 2024, Accessed 8 July 2025. "NOAA Library: Weather and Climate Collections: Weather Modification Project Reports." 2021, Accessed 8 July 2025.
TechCrunch
4 days ago
- Science
- TechCrunch
A cloud seeding startup did not cause the Texas floods
In the wake of a disaster, it's not uncommon for people to look for answers anywhere they can find them. The devastating floods in Texas are no exception. There are many potential reasons why so many people were killed by the swiftly rising waters, but one that some people have settled on is a practice known as cloud seeding. They claim that a cloud seeding startup known as Rainmaker caused the storm to drop more rain than it otherwise would have. However, the data does not back up their concerns. It's true that Rainmaker was operating in that area a few days before the storm, but despite the online chatter, 'cloud seeding had nothing to do' with the floods, said Katja Friedrich, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Colorado Boulder. 'It's just a complete conspiracy theory. Somebody is looking for somebody to blame,' Bob Rauber, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois, told TechCrunch. Cloud seeding is nothing new. It has been practiced since the 1950s, Rauber said. It works by spraying small particles into clouds, usually made of silver iodide. Silver iodide particles mimic the shape of ice crystals, so when they bump into super-cooled water droplets — water that remains liquid below the freezing point — they trigger the droplets to freeze into ice. That freezing is important, Rauber said. Ice crystals grow in size faster than super-cooled water drops, meaning they are more likely to capture enough water vapor to become large enough to fall out of the cloud. If they had remained as super-cooled water, there's a good chance they would eventually evaporate. Only clouds that have a sufficient amount of super-cooled water are good candidates for cloud seeding. Techcrunch event Save up to $475 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $450 on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW In the U.S., most cloud seeding occurs in the winter near mountain ranges in the West. There, clouds form as the mountains push the air higher, causing it to cool and the water vapor to condense. If properly seeded, such clouds will release some of that water as snow, which is then held captive as snowpack, forming a natural reservoir that, during spring melts, recharges artificial reservoirs held behind dams. Though people have been seeding clouds for decades, its impact on precipitation is a newer area of study. 'We really didn't have the technologies to evaluate it until recently,' Rauber said. In early 2017, Friedrich, Rauber, and their colleagues set up shop in Idaho to perform one of the most detailed studies of cloud seeding to date. On three occasions, they seeded clouds for a total of two hours and ten minutes. It was enough to add around 186 million gallons of additional precipitation. That might sound like a lot, and for drought-stricken Western states, it can make a difference. Idaho Power seeds many clouds throughout the winter to boost the amount of water being collected behind their dams so they can generate electricity throughout the year. 'Their data shows that it's cost-effective for them,' Rauber said. But compared with a big storm, 186 million gallons is peanuts. 'When we talk about that huge storm that occurred with the flooding [in Texas], we're literally talking about the atmosphere processing trillions of gallons of water,' he said. If Rainmaker influenced the storm, it was so minuscule that it would barely have been a rounding error. But the reality is, it didn't. For starters, the company was seeding nearby clouds days before the storm hit. 'The air that was over that area two days before was probably somewhere over Canada by the time that storm occurred,' Rauber said. Second, it's not clear whether cloud seeding is as effective in the cumulus clouds that occur in Texas in the summer. They're distinct from the orographic clouds that form near mountain ranges, and they don't respond the same to cloud seeding. For one, they tend to be short-lived and don't produce a lot of precipitation. Cloud seeders might try to coax more out of them anyway, but 'the amount of rain that comes out of those seeded clouds is small,' Rauber said. Those that do last long enough? 'Clouds that are deep, like thunderstorms, the natural processes are just fine,' he said. 'Those clouds are very efficient. Seeding those clouds is not going to do anything.'
CNN
5 days ago
- Business
- CNN
CEO responds to conspiracy theorists blaming him for Texas floods
CNN's Kaitlan Collins interviews Augustus Doricko, CEO and founder of a cloud seeding company called Rainmaker, after he says he was targeted by conspiracy theorists online in the aftermath of the devastating floods in central Texas.
CNN
5 days ago
- Business
- CNN
CEO responds to conspiracy theorists blaming him for Texas floods
CNN's Kaitlan Collins interviews Augustus Doricko, CEO and founder of a cloud seeding company called Rainmaker, after he says he was targeted by conspiracy theorists online in the aftermath of the devastating floods in central Texas.
