Understanding Artificial Rain in Dubai: How UAE’s Technology Causes Floods During Dubai Weather Events

Cloud seeding has the potential to bring significant benefits, but concerns have been raised about its impact, particularly in the United Arab Emirates. Here, where annual rainfall averages less than 200 millimetres and temperatures can soar to 50 degrees Celsius, water resources are under immense pressure.

The UAE has been pioneering innovative solutions to combat this issue, including cloud seeding, a form of weather modification aimed at enhancing precipitation. The process of cloud seeding in the UAE begins with weather forecasters at the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) monitoring atmospheric conditions and identifying suitable clouds for seeding based on precipitation patterns.

Collaboration with scientific and technical research institutions has bolstered the nation’s cloud seeding efforts, leading to the development of the Rain Enhancement Program managed by the NCM. Specialized aircraft equipped with hygroscopic flares are used to disperse seeding agents into identified clouds.

These agents, containing salt material components, serve as nuclei around which water droplets condense, ultimately leading to precipitation in the form of rain. The NCM has established a national network of weather monitoring stations and weather radars to assist in this process.

To address environmental concerns, the UAE’s cloud seeding program refrains from using harmful chemicals and instead employs natural salts as seeding agents. The NCM has even developed its own seeding agent, known as nano material, which is currently undergoing trials and experimentation to assess its effectiveness in enhancing precipitation.

Despite the potential benefits of cloud seeding, some have raised concerns over “tinkering” with nature, particularly in the face of exceptional weather conditions in the region. There are warnings against meddling with the natural order of things, with some suggesting that floods are nature’s way of “pushing back” against such interventions.