Freak UAE rain showers manmade

ARTIFICIAL RAIN: The unseasonably bad weather the UAE experienced could have been manmade. (Getty Images)

Many UAE motorists making their way home on Tuesday would have put the dark skies and light rain down to just a freak occurrence, but in fact the unseasonably bad weather could have been manmade as scientists were carrying out tests to induce artificial rain.

The Meteorological Department at the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) used aircraft to sprinkle cloud seeding salts in moist clouds heading towards Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Al Ain, reported state news agency Wam.

The monitoring stations subsequently registered light to medium rainfalls in different areas of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Wam said.

Motorists could be in for more bad weather as scientists planning to repeat the tests again on Wednesday, according to the news agency.

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USER COMMENTS (10 COMMENTS)

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Artificial Rain
Posted by Emron Llah, Dubai, UAE on 10 May 2008 at 11:15 UAE time

What chemical was used? Many years ago the Russians did the same thing using silver chloride. It worked but the chemical is toxic and was stopped (except over unpopulated areas, eg forests and deserts).

Yesterday: it was scary to learn from a friend this was an artificial rain…
Posted by Joanna Pogulis, Dubai, UAE on 10 May 2008 at 06:48 UAE time

Since I have seen the movie: The Avengers (1998) I have been fascinated with ‘making weather’. When last week just before leaving for work around 8am heard thunders and then seen lightning (Dubai), looked through the windows to see very strange dark clouds as we see them in Johannesburg just before a thunder storm (Johannesburg has lots of metal in the ground causing it to be a city with most lightning).

The Dubai rain however was not that strong but what made me scared is a very powerful wind out of nowhere which I did not see in Dubai yet (living here last 3 years), just as if beginning of cyclone (you should have seen the garden/park for those few seconds).

I do understand that the region is desperate for rain however God and Mother Nature have created a balance via million/billion of years and playing God is not healthy and am convinced that if we do one thing we unbalance another.

I personally am not worried about motorists as people will have to learn and quickly, what concerns more is Mother Nature's retaliation.

Artificial Rain
Posted by Harry Barracuda, Manama, Bahrain on 8 May 2008 at 10:24 UAE time


They do this in Thailand every year when the reservoirs are running low, or the forests are ablaze.

Freak Rain storms
Posted by Jameela Mohanna, Madinat Hamad, Bahrain on 8 May 2008 at 09:52 UAE time


Well if this is really so it would be a godsend to the middle eastern region.
A Way to make the desert green again without having to desalinate water.
I hope this will work and many more gulf countries will follow with the applied science of seeding clouds.
bravo

Playing god
Posted by Louisa, Dubai, UAE on 8 May 2008 at 09:08 UAE time


I'm extremely uncomfortable with this - I mean, seriously, we have no idea what ongoing impact playing god with the weather could have. Plus - with the amount of idiot drivers in the UAE - how many more road accidents occurred in the rain because of this 'experiment'?

Manmade rain
Posted by Mike, Dubai on 8 May 2008 at 08:45 UAE time


Rubbish. How come it actually rained on Tuesday morning? Is it April 1st somewhere in the universe.

SHOW ALL COMMENTS

Unbelieveable
Posted by Behrooz, Dubai, UAE on 8 May 2008 at 01:25 UAE time

So, how was it that I saw "cloudy, with possibility rain" forecast for Dubai on the internet about two days before the rainfall?!

Rain
Posted by Wafik, Manama, Bahrain on 7 May 2008 at 23:20 UAE time

Nothing new with this technology. It's a well known fact that the Soviet Union used similar technology to ensure a rain free May day celebrations on the day. In the Arab world, I remember a Libyan experiment with similar technology in the 70's to induce rain.

"Freak" Rainshowers
Posted by anne, Abu Dhabi, UAE on 7 May 2008 at 16:28 UAE time


Astonishing......so who was responsible for the gusting wind that hit my terrace just before the rain hit??

ummm.... no comments??
Posted by Mike VC, dubai on 7 May 2008 at 16:05 UAE time


The rain that came down was dusty; perhaps planners should look at the overall costs of this system, such as the costs to consumers of having to wash their cars. I know this sounds trivial, but the point is that these systems should always be viewed holistically.

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