The devices seed silver iodide, which has a similar structure to ice, into clouds. Water droplets gather around the particles, modifying the cloud structure and increasing the chance of precipitation. Image: Drones have been deployed in areas of China The practice, known as cloud seeding, has taken place during China’s hottest and driest summer since the country began keeping temperature and rainfall records in 1961. Temperatures have topped 40 C (104 F) in the past week and more. Huang Haojuan, deputy director of the weather modification bureau of Guizhou in southwest China, said Thursday that there are plans for eight flights to cover the entire province. “Typhoon Ma-on has brought rainy conditions to Guizhou, and we have made preparations both on the ground and in the air, so our aircraft will operate frequent flights on Thursday and Friday to increase the rainfall as much as possible,” he said. Drones were dispatched over southwest China’s Sichuan province to bring rainfall to more than 600 sq m/km. Local authorities used rockets to bring rain to 20 counties and districts in southwest China’s Chongqing municipality on Thursday. In the Tongan district of the municipality, 15 rockets were fired six times to bring the long-awaited rain. Wang Jidong, deputy head of the local meteorological bureau, said: “We are currently quite sufficient in the supply of artificial influence missiles. “We have enhanced weather monitoring and conducted artificial rainfall operations accordingly to further relieve the drought and high temperature in the region.” A drone arrived in central China’s Henan, one of the country’s grain-growing provinces, on Thursday to bring artificial rain to the region. Li Xingyu, a researcher from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: “The good thing about aircraft precipitation is that it can affect a wide range of area, it is quite fast (in spreading catalysts) and it can work directly in the clouds, presenting a higher performance. “This will yield better results compared to traditional ways when working with large-scale cloud sheets.” Read more from Sky News: China’s receding Yangtze reveals three Buddhist statues Pakistan calls for help after months of floods cause ‘humanitarian disaster’ Russia ‘burns gas’ as Europe grapples with energy crisis China’s record heatwave is now beginning to subside, with farmers across the country assessing the damage caused by a prolonged drought. More than 70 days of extreme temperatures and low rainfall have wreaked havoc along the Yangtze River basin, which supports more than 450 million people as well as a third of the country’s crops. The intense heat has sparked mountain fires, withered crops and dried up hydroelectric systems.
