Rainmaker CEO Augustus Doricko called it “critically important” for the U.S. to develop weather-modification technology. That is an advocacy statement, not evidence that the U.S. government is investing heavily: the public records cited here do not establish a current U.S. spending total. Cloud seeding is a real, limited atmospheric intervention, but its results depend on the cloud and method—and it cannot make rain from a clear sky or control severe weather.
What is weather modification, and what is Rainmaker doing?
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) defines weather modification as deliberate atmospheric intervention intended to influence local weather, commonly through cloud seeding. It is distinct from climate intervention, which generally refers to efforts on a global scale and over longer climate timescales. The WMO’s June 14, 2025 fact sheet says its information runs through June 2024.
In ABC News’ September 9, 2026 report, Rainmaker is described as a California technology company that uses drones to release silver iodide into suitable clouds. Silver iodide can act as an ice nucleus, helping initiate ice-crystal formation in clouds that contain the right conditions. Seeding aims to influence precipitation processes already underway; it does not create a rain-bearing cloud from clear air. ABC’s report describes Rainmaker’s drone operation, not a federal program.
Does cloud seeding work?
The answer depends on the seeding method and the cloud. The WMO says recent wintertime glaciogenic seeding of orographic clouds—clouds formed as moist air is forced up over terrain—has demonstrated an evidence-based causal relationship for that particular method. That is not proof that every cloud-seeding operation increases precipitation. The WMO notes that operational programs often have difficulty establishing results with adequate confidence because natural cloud variability can mask a seeding signal.
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| Case | What is seeded or tested | What the evidence supports |
|---|---|---|
| Glaciogenic seeding of winter orographic clouds | Particles intended to promote ice-crystal formation in suitable clouds over terrain | The WMO identifies recent evidence of a causal relationship for this specific case; it does not establish a universal effect size. |
| Hygroscopic seeding | Particles intended to affect the size and number of liquid cloud droplets | The WMO describes the method, but the cited fact sheet does not identify equivalent recent causal evidence for it. |
| Operational programs in complex clouds | Seeding conducted as part of routine weather-modification operations | The WMO says results are often difficult to establish with adequate confidence because of natural variability. |
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s technical synthesis of winter orographic seeding likewise stresses that statistical results need physical evaluation: researchers should be able to trace a credible chain from the seeding action to the observed outcome. It also characterizes precipitation augmentation as a limited drought-relief measure, since drought can reduce the opportunities to increase precipitation, and as a better fit within long-term water management. Read the Bureau’s technical synthesis.
How can a cloud-seeding claim be tested?
A rain or snow event after seeding does not, by itself, show that seeding caused it. A credible evaluation needs to distinguish the intervention’s effect from what the cloud and weather would have done anyway. The WMO recommends an evidence chain that includes:
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- A physical hypothesis explaining how the seeding agent is expected to affect the cloud.
- Objective criteria for deciding which events are eligible, rather than selecting cases after seeing the outcome.
- Randomized comparisons of seeded and unseeded events, with statistical estimates and confidence intervals.
- Physical analyses that test whether the proposed mechanism occurred, alongside the statistical comparison.
- For model-based evaluation, quantified uncertainty and constraints from observations.
These standards matter when a company describes precipitation as “new” or attributes a volume to an operation: the claim needs a defensible comparison, not just a measurement of rain or snow that fell afterward. The WMO’s evaluation guidance is in its weather-modification statement.
What did the Rainmaker CEO claim?
ABC News quoted Doricko saying, “Over the course of hours, we can produce millions of gallons of new precipitation,” and that the company can produce “less than a tenth of an inch over hundreds of miles at a time.” He also described an ambition to produce more measurable water through cloud seeding that winter than California’s desalination capacity. These are company claims and an ambition as reported by ABC; the report does not independently validate the incremental precipitation volume or the desalination comparison. ABC News’ account does not provide enough information to treat those figures as an independently measured result.
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Doricko’s exact statement was: “It’s critically important that the U.S. develops and wins the frontier of this tech.” ABC reports that he connected the argument to investment by China and other countries, but did not quantify that investment. His statement is a call for U.S. leadership, not a disclosed U.S. budget figure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is the U.S. investing heavily in weather modification?
The cited public records do not establish how much the federal government, states, or local agencies currently spend on weather modification. A 2009 Senate Commerce Committee hearing records Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison telling Commerce Secretary nominee Gary Locke that she wanted to discuss research in weather modification and storm mitigation, given NOAA and the National Weather Service’s place within Commerce. That shows historical congressional interest; it does not document a funded program, current spending, or a spending total. The transcript is dated April 28, 2009.
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So Doricko’s view that U.S. leadership is important should not be recast as proof that the U.S. already invests heavily. The available figures in the cited reporting also do not quantify investment by China or other countries.
Can humans control severe weather, or can cloud seeding cause floods?
Cloud seeding is not weather control in the broad sense. The WMO says the energy in weather systems is too large for people to create rain-producing cloud systems, redirect winds to bring water vapor into a region, or eliminate severe weather. It reports no generally accepted evidence that tropical cyclones can be modified and no demonstrated seeding method for modifying tornadoes, lightning danger, floods, or other severe weather. Claims of dramatic control warrant skepticism.
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