Dubai Weather Chaos: How UAE Creates Artificial Rain and Causes Dubai Floods

Cloud seeding is a potential solution to combat water scarcity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). With an annual rainfall average of less than 200 millimetres and soaring temperatures, the UAE faces immense pressure on its water resources. To address this issue, the UAE has pioneered innovative solutions such as cloud seeding, a form of weather modification aimed at enhancing precipitation.

The process of cloud seeding begins with weather forecasters monitoring atmospheric conditions and identifying suitable clouds for seeding based on precipitation patterns. The UAE’s Rain Enhancement Program (UAEREP), managed by the Emirates’ National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), spearheads the program. Collaborative scientific and technical research has bolstered the program, with a focus on analyzing the physical and chemical characteristics of the UAE’s atmosphere to identify an effective agent to stimulate cloud growth and augment rainfall.

Specialised aircraft equipped with hygroscopic flares containing salt material components are used to deploy the seeding agent into the target clouds. These salt particles serve as nuclei around which water droplets condense, eventually leading to precipitation in the form of rain. The NCM has also developed its own seeding agent known as nano material, which consists of fine salt coated with titanium oxide.

This material is currently undergoing trials and experimentation to assess its effectiveness in enhancing precipitation. Unlike some other countries’ cloud seeding programs that utilize silver iodide, the UAE’s program refrains from using harmful chemicals, addressing concerns about environmental impact. Despite the potential benefits of cloud seeding, some concerns have been raised about its impact on extreme weather phenomena in the region, particularly in light of the unpredicted downpour that halted the city’s usual pace.

With exceptional weather conditions causing unprecedented floods, there are warnings against “tinkering” with nature and claims that the floods are nature’s way of “pushing back.” The NCM has established a national network of automatic weather stations for monitoring and has taken measures to ensure the safety and sustainability of its operations, addressing concerns about environmental impact and ensuring the effectiveness of cloud seeding as a solution to water scarcity in the UAE.