Latest news with #weathermodification
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
How a California cloud-seeding company became the center of a Texas flood conspiracy
Two days before the waters of the Guadalupe River swelled into a deadly and devastating Fourth of July flood in Kerr County, Texas, engineers with a California-based company called Rainmaker took off in an airplane about 100 miles away and dispersed 70 grams of silver iodide into a cloud. Their goal? To make it rain over Texas — part of a weather modification practice known as cloud seeding, which uses chemical compounds to augment water droplets inside clouds, making the drops large enough and heavy enough to fall to the ground. But in the hours after the flood swept through the greater Kerrville area and killed at least 135 people, including three dozen children, conspiracy theories began swirling among a small but vocal group of fringe figures. "I NEED SOMEONE TO LOOK INTO WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS … WHEN WAS THE LAST CLOUD SEEDING?" wrote Pete Chambers, a former U.S. special forces commander and prominent far-right activist, on the social media platform X. The post received 3.1 million views, yet was only one of several accusations that sprang up around Rainmaker's activities and its alleged connection to the flood. "Anyone who calls this out as a conspiracy theory can go F themselves," wrote Michael Flynn, former national security advisor under the first Trump administration, atop a repost of Chambers' tweet. Read more: Warnings ignored: The grim connection between the L.A. wildfires and Texas floods The flurry of allegations was quickly debunked, with a number of independent scientists saying that the company's actions could not have produced anywhere close to the amount of rain that triggered the flood. "It's very clear that they have nothing to do with it," said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, in a YouTube briefing following the flood. Rainmaker also denied the claims. The storm dropped as much as four inches of rain per hour over Texas Hill Country, and the river in some places rose by 26 feet in less than 45 minutes. But in some ways, the damage was done. Conspiracy theorists who have long alleged that Deep State Democrats are controlling the weather now had a real incident to point to. And researchers, companies and experts working to study and perform weather modification and geoengineering practices — which some say will be needed as climate change worsens — now have an even bigger hurdle to overcome. Within hours of the deadly flood, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she was introducing a bill to make all forms of weather modification — such as cloud seeding — a felony. "This is not normal," the Georgia representative said in a post on X. "No person, company, entity, or government should ever be allowed to modify our weather by any means possible!!" That same week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched two new websites to "address public questions and concerns " about weather modification, geoengineering, and contrails, or the thin clouds that form behind aircraft at high altitudes. "To anyone who's ever looked up to the streaks in the sky and asked,' what the heck is going on?,' or seen headlines about private actors and even governments looking to blot out the sun in the name of stopping global warming — we've endeavored to answer all of your questions," EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a video accompanying the websites' launch. "In fact, EPA shares many of the same concerns when it comes to potential threats to human health and the environment." The EPA website notes that there is a distinction between geoengineering, which involves a broad range of activities designed to modify global temperatures, and weather modification techniques such as cloud seeding, which are generally short-lived and localized. Read more: Like Texas, California faces major dangers when extreme floods come In fact, the process of cloud seeding was invented in the United States and has existed for nearly 80 years. General Electric scientists Vincent Schaefer, Irving Langmuir and Bernard Vonnegut — older brother of the late novelist Kurt Vonnegut — began experimenting with it as early as 1946. On July 2, Rainmaker's team was working in Runge, Texas, about 125 miles southeast of where the Guadalupe River would soon flood, according to Augustus Doricko, founder and chief executive of the company, which is headquartered in El Segundo. The team flew its plane to an elevation of 1,600 feet and dispersed about 70 grams of silver iodide into the clouds — an amount smaller than a handful of Skittles, Doricko said. The bright yellow compound is known to latch onto water droplets that are already present in clouds, converting them into ice crystals that can fall as rain or snow, depending on the temperature below. Soon after the flight, Rainmaker's meteorologists identified an inflow of moisture to the region and advised the team to suspend operations, which they did, Doricko said. Around 1 a.m. the next day, the National Weather Service issued its first flash flood watch for the Kerr County region. Doricko said there's no chance Rainmaker's actions — which were contracted by the nonprofit South Texas Weather Modification Assn. and on file with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — contributed to the flood. "The biggest and best cloud seeding operations we've seen to date have produced tens of millions — and maximally like 100 million — gallons of precipitation," he said. "We saw in excess of a trillion gallons of precipitation from that flood. Not only could cloud seeding not have caused this, but the aerosols that we dispersed days prior could not have persisted in the atmosphere long enough to have had any consequence on the storm." Read more: EPA seeks to roll back regulations that limit greenhouse gas emissions from power plants Multiple independent experts agreed. During his briefing, Swain noted that cloud seeding does not create new clouds — it must be conducted on preexisting clouds that already have water vapor or small liquid drops inside of them, essentially enhancing what already had the potential to fall. What's more, its effects last "minutes to maybe an hour," Swain said. "Best-case-scenario estimates — absolute best-case — are that these cloud-seeding operations are able to augment the amount of precipitation by at most 10% to 15% over very limited areas," Swain said. "On average, it's a lot lower than that. In fact, in some cases, it's difficult to prove that cloud seeding does anything at all." Indeed, Andrew Dessler, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University, has gone so far as to call cloud seeding a scam — in part because it can prey on farmers and other people who are desperate for rain, and because it typically delivers only modest results, he said. "There's no physical way that cloud seeding could have made the Texas storm," Dessler said, noting that the storm was fueled by extremely high levels of atmospheric water that stemmed from a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. "This is a nonsense argument. There's no debate here about whether cloud seeding played a role in this disaster." Dessler said the whole dust-up surrounding Rainmaker and the Texas flood is a distraction from the very real issues and challenges posed by global warming. The amount of material injected into the atmosphere during cloud seeding and geoengineering operations pales in comparison to the trillions of tons of carbon dioxide humans have already spewed into the atmosphere, he said. "The real irony here is that in some sense, the argument they're making is correct — there is a conspiracy to change the climate," Dessler said. "It's through the emission of carbon dioxide, and it's by fossil fuel interests and the ecosystem that goes with that. That's the conspiracy." Read more: Texas flood highlights deadly climate risk from extreme weather Such limitations haven't stopped governments and municipalities from investing in cloud-seeding technology. One of Rainmaker's first clients was the Utah Department of Natural Resources, which was interested in cloud seeding as a response to the drying of the Great Salt Lake, Doricko said. His company has also contracted with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, the Oregon Department of Agriculture and multiple municipalities in California, including the Public Works Departments of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. David Spiegel, supervising engineer with San Luis Obispo County's Public Works Department, said the county first began exploring cloud-seeding technology in the early 2000s in response to severe drought conditions and dwindling supplies at the Lopez Lake reservoir, which feeds five city agencies nearby. It took years to get the program off the ground, and it didn't ultimately run until 2019 through 2024 — when the state was dealing with yet another drought — to somewhat middling results. Specifically, San Luis Obispo's cloud-seeding program added about 1,200 acre-feet of water per year to the nearly 50,000 acre-foot reservoir, he said. (An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons.) In its best year, it added about 2,500 acre-feet. Part of the challenge was that there weren't many clouds in the area to work with, Spiegel said. "We didn't have enough storms to seed because we were still in this drought period, so it was kind of unfortunate." However, he still saw the program as a success because the small water supply gains that came from the cloud seeding priced out to about $300 per acre-foot — far less than the cost of importing supplies from other sources such as the State Water Project, which can run closer to $1,500 an acre-foot. He said he would still consider cloud seeding in the future should the reservoir run low again. "We definitely see it as a viable option," Spiegel said. So far, the state isn't investing in its own cloud-seeding programs, though it does keep a close eye on them, according to Jason Ince, a spokesman with the California Department of Water Resources. He said any groups conducting cloud seeding work are required to notify the agency by submitting a notice of intent. An October report published by the department indicates there have been at least 16 cloud-seeding projects across multiple counties and watersheds in California in recent years. Read more: New scientific interventions are here to fight climate change. But they aren't silver bullets Such efforts could become useful as climate conditions keep moving in the wrong direction: Warming temperatures and overuse are sapping groundwater supplies in California, while state and federal officials are still mired in negotiations over use of the Colorado River — a rapidly shrinking water lifeline that supplies 40 million people across the American West. Meanwhile, global average temperatures continue to soar driven largely by fossil fuel emissions and human activity. Many experts say there's a good chance that some form of intervention — weather modification, geoengineering or some altogether new technology — will be needed in the years ahead. "Weather modification projects are vital resources to enhance fresh water supply for communities within their watersheds," the Department of Water Resources report says. It recommends that the state continue to support existing cloud-seeding projects in the state and help facilitate new ones. Speigel, of San Luis Obispo County, said laws banning cloud seeding and other weather modification measures — such as the one posed by Rep. Greene — would be a detriment to the region. "It would be a setback for us, because we are constantly looking for other opportunities for water," he said. "It would limit our ability to seek out means of more water in these long drought periods. ... I definitely think it would stifle our ability to help our customers." Even more controversial than cloud seeding are geoengineering techniques to block the amount of solar energy reaching the Earth. Some involve injecting sulfur into the stratosphere. A 2021 report on geoengineering published by the National Academies of Sciences affirmed that "meeting the challenge of climate change requires a portfolio of options," but advised caution around such methods. "[Solar geoengineering] could potentially offer an additional strategy for responding to climate change but is not a substitute for reducing [greenhouse gas] emissions," the report says. Dessler, who is also the director of the Texas Center for Extreme Weather at Texas A&M, likened geoengineering to airbags on a car — something no one ever hopes to use but that would be good to have in a climate emergency. He said the focus should continue to be on reducing the use of fossil fuels, and that the talk of banning geoengineering, cloud seeding and other forms of weather modification by members of the Trump administration and some lawmakers is more political than scientific. "It makes no sense — it shows you that this is not an argument about facts. It's an argument about worldview," he said. Read more: The planet is dangerously close to this climate threshold. Here's what 1.5°C really means The president has taken many steps to undo efforts to address climate change in recent months, including withdrawing from the Paris climate accord, an agreement among some 200 nations to limit global warming to under 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). The EPA has also removed several barriers and regulations that govern oil and gas drilling in the U.S., and has said it wants to repeal the endangerment finding — a long-held legal and scientific determination that CO2 emissions harm human health and welfare, among other significant changes. Doricko, Rainmaker's CEO, said he was disappointed to see cloud seeding politicized in the wake of the Texas flood. He was taken aback when he saw that Rep. Greene had posted a picture of his face on X — "insinuating somewhat that cloud seeding, or I, was responsible for the natural disaster in Texas, when any meteorologist or atmospheric scientist could tell you otherwise," he said. "Human civilization is unintentionally modifying the weather and the climate all the time," Doricko said, including through fossil fuel emissions and urban heat islands that warm surrounding areas. "What Rainmaker is trying to do is bring some intentionality to that, so that we can modify the weather for our benefit and deliberately." Doricko said he is also an advocate of more transparent reporting, more stringent regulations, and whatever else is needed to build trust with the public about "a really consequential technology." He said he will continue to engage with skeptics of the technology in good faith. "Cloud seeding is a water supply tool, and whether you're a farmer in a red state or an environmentalist in a blue state, water is as nonpartisan as it gets," he said. "Everybody needs water." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
E&E News
4 days ago
- Politics
- E&E News
Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces ‘weather modification' ban
One of President Donald Trump's top allies on Capitol Hill has introduced legislation to stop potential human meddling with the weather. On Tuesday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she filed the 'Clear Skies Act' to ban 'weather modification' and geoengineering. It comes as online conspiracy theorists claim without evidence that weather-altering technology was behind the recent catastrophic flooding in Texas. 'Finally, we can really take the fight in Washington to protect our skies, protect our water, protect our atmospheres, and most of all, protect our families,' Greene said in a video posted on social media. Advertisement Greene's office provided the text of the bill, which has been designated H.R. 4403.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Climate
- Fox News
Marla Maples wants cleaner skies in America as EPA pushes ban on weather altering
With the recent catastrophic flooding in Texas, concerns have been raised by many about the potential use of weather modification methods, prompting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and members of Congress to investigate and promise transparency on the controversial issue. Marla Maples, co-founder of Global Wellness Forum (GWF) and a MAHA backer based in Palm Beach, told Fox News Digital she's been a longtime advocate of raising awareness about and putting a stop to weather modification. (See the video at the top of this article.) "Weather modification is the human attempt to control the skies — to alter natural weather patterns through aerosol sprays of various particulate matter such as aluminum, strontium, barium and other particulate matters," said Maples. "Cloud seeding uses silver iodide to enhance precipitation and there's also frequency-based technologies used." Maples was among those who helped get Florida Senate Bill 56 passed. It prohibits the release of chemical compounds that affect the temperature, weather, climate or intensity of sunlight. At least 24 states have introduced similar legislation. On July 1, 2025, Florida became the first state to criminalize geoengineering and weather modification when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law. "Just think, when such practices are done without public knowledge or consent, we must ask: Who decides what happens in our shared atmosphere?" said Maples. "While these technologies exist, many are deployed without strict regulations, public oversight or informed consent." Maples believes there should be transparency, safety and public participation in decisions that affect the environment and public health. Heeding Gov. DeSantis' call after he signed SB 56, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote to public-use airports on Monday informing operators of the new law. The law in Florida now "requires all 'public-use airports' to report on geoengineering and weather modification activities." "Injecting our atmosphere with novel chemical compounds to block the sun is a dangerous path, especially in Florida, where sunshine is our most valuable resource," wrote Uthmeier. "Furthermore, as our hearts break for the victims of the flash floods in Texas, I can't help but notice the possibility that weather modification could have played a role in this tragedy." He said the law now "requires all 'public-use airports' to report on geoengineering and weather modification activities." Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, recently told reporters in relation to the Texas flooding tragedy that "to the best of my knowledge, there is zero evidence of anything related to anything like weather modification." EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin recently announced two new online resources designed to address public questions and concerns about contrails and geoengineering. "I tasked my team to compile everything we know about contrails and geoengineering to release to you now publicly," wrote Zeldin in an X post. "I want you to know EVERYTHING I know about these topics, and without ANY exception." Contrails are condensation trails formed from planes, while geoengineering is an effort to deliberately alter the Earth's climate, such as through cloud seeding. "I tasked my team to compile everything we know about contrails and geoengineering to release to you now publicly." Many believe some contrails have chemicals and/or other substances that alter the environment for weather modification purposes – which the EPA hopes to investigate in the push for transparency. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., recently shared her proposal for a bill to prohibit "the injection, release or dispersion of chemicals or substances into the atmosphere for the express purpose of altering weather, temperature, climate or sunlight intensity." Rainmaker Tech Corporation CEO Augustus Doricko, in a recent appearance on "The Will Cain Show," shared how his company adds 50 grams of silver iodide per operation, touching on public concerns. "I have yet to see any sufficient evidence of a malevolent conspiracy of someone releasing toxins into the atmosphere in those long streaky tracks in the upper atmosphere," said Doricko. "A lot of what I've seen seems to suggest those are condensation trails formed by airplanes," he said. "Now, regardless of whether those are condensation trails or chemtrails — and I am entirely open to people presenting evidence of them being chemtrails of some kind, despite not believing them to be that now — if you see a long streak in the sky that has nothing to do with cloud, which relies on existing big puffy natural clouds raining a little bit more," he added. "These aren't the skies that I grew up with in my small hometown in Georgia, when the clouds were big and puffy and the skies were bright blue." Said Maples, "These aren't the skies that I grew up with in my small hometown in Georgia, when the clouds were big and puffy and the skies were bright blue. For years, I've been observing high-altitude airplanes creating streaks of white across the sky that linger all day, spread out like fine feathers and white out the beautiful sun." The former wife of President Donald Trump and mother of Tiffany Trump said she believes side effects such as chronic diseases, threats to agriculture and lack of exposure to Vitamin D are all linked to geoengineering. "When I see a lot of spraying in the sky, my mind is a little more foggy. My energy field is much lower. It's harder for me to focus," Maples told Fox News Digital. Maples asked Americans to "observe how they feel after being outside seeking fresh air, and yet see a sky filled with these lingering streams." "Do you notice a dizzy feeling? Is your mind not as clear? Are you observing a lack of energy or unusual headaches, a sore throat, allergy symptoms?" She suggested these are all questions people should be asking. In a post on X, HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared his support for states' efforts to ban geoengineering. "Twenty-four states move to ban geoengineering [of] our climate by dousing our citizens, our waterways and landscapes with toxins," he wrote. "This is a movement every MAHA [advocate] needs to support. HHS will do its part." In a study by the University of Washington in 2021, researchers identified a link between air pollution and dementias. Experts, including those from Harvard University, have previously confirmed that aerosol injection technologies are not in use and are theoretical — saying they would be highly visible. A Harvard University professor specializing in solar geoengineering said, according to a research site, "There is no evidence for the existence of chemtrails." "If such a program existed at the scale required to explain the claimed amount of chemtrails, it would require thousands or perhaps tens of thousands of people," the site noted. "It would be extraordinarily hard to keep such a program secret because it would be so easy for a single individual in the program to reveal it using leaked documents, photographs or actual hardware," it continued.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Florida Airports Get Absurd Order on 'Weather Modification' Conspiracy
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier—the 'brains' behind the so-called 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigrant detention camp—threatened to strip state funding from Florida airports that fail to submit monthly reports on the 'geoengineering and weather modification activities' at their facilities. Uthmeier sent a crankish letter to Florida public airport operators on Monday, in which he vowed to enforce a piece of legislation signed into law by Governor Ron DeSantis earlier this month that prohibits (and requires airports to report) the introduction of substances into the Florida atmosphere 'for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, weather, climate, or intensity of sunlight.' 'Because airports are most likely to catch those who seek to weaponize science in order to push their agenda, your compliance with these reporting obligations is essential to keeping our state safe from these harmful chemicals and experiments,' Uthmeier wrote. 'In Florida, we don't jeopardize the public health so that we can bend the knee to the climate cult.' Under the new law, public-use airports will be required to file monthly reports with Florida's Department of Transportation starting in October. Asked about the new mandate by the Orlando Sentinel, a spokeswoman for the operator of the Orlando International Airport and Orlando Executive Airport replied, somewhat shruggingly, that the airports would comply. However, she noted, 'Neither airport performs any geoengineering or weather modification activities, nor are we … aware of any activity on airport properties that must be reported at this time.' Uthmeier's letter also supported baseless conspiracy theories attributing the deadly flooding in Texas over the July 4 weekend to weather modification—a claim that the director of Texas A&M's Center for Extreme Weather has called 'complete nonsense' and which even Republican Senator Ted Cruz dismissed as bunkum. 'I can't help but notice the possibility that weather modification could have played a role in' the disasters in Texas, Uthmeier wrote, adding that 'Florida's new law seeks to prevent something like that from ever happening.' Conspiracy theories about weather modification have become increasingly common on the right, with prominent figures like Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia elevating them amid extreme weather events.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- 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.
