Can the Russians Control the Weather?
Last weekend, Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian Air Force to keep it from raining over Moscow in advance of Monday’s military parade. The Air Force used a procedure called cloud seeding, and Russia’s defense minister later took credit for Monday’s sunshine. Can the Russians really control the weather? They can try. Proponents of “cloud seeding” say it’s possible to induce rain and snow (after which clouds can break up and disappear), suppress hail, and clear up patches of fog. Twenty or 30 countries run cloud-seeding operations of some sort; China has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on weather manipulation over the last decade. The bureau in charge of cloud seeding in Thailand reportedly has 600 staff-members and a $25 million budget. No federal funds go toward cloud seeding in America, but a handful of states finance projects locally. Utah just kicked in for $400,000 worth of weather control projects. Here’s how it works: Rain starts as tiny droplets of water
