09/26/2026
Drones brought down 19 million gallons of rain and snow in three hours.
That’s the estimate from Rainmaker, a California company that tested cloud-seeding drones over Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula on August 23, 2026.
Most of the precipitation fell as snow. The estimated total, equivalent to about 72 million liters of water, was spread across nearly 100 square miles (259 square kilometers). On the ground, that meant light precipitation rather than a massive downpour.
The drones released silver iodide particles into clouds containing supercooled water: droplets that remain liquid below 32°F (0°C).
These particles provide surfaces where ice can form. The resulting crystals grow as they collect moisture, eventually becoming heavy enough to fall. They reach the ground as snow or melt into rain along the way.
The process uses water already in the atmosphere. It needs suitable clouds, sufficient moisture, and the right temperatures.
But how do researchers distinguish snowfall they triggered from snowfall that would have happened anyway?
Rainmaker released seeding material in specific patterns and pulses. The company then used radar to identify matching precipitation patterns and estimate the additional water reaching the ground.
The 19-million-gallon figure comes from that company analysis, rather than directly collecting and measuring every gallon.
Cloud seeding dates back to the 1940s. Research projects such as the 2017 SNOWIE experiment in Idaho have demonstrated measurable additional snowfall under suitable conditions.
The broader goal is to increase mountain snowpack. Snow stores water through winter, then gradually releases it into rivers and reservoirs as it melts.
That could help supplement water supplies for farms, communities, and ecosystems. But its effectiveness depends on the weather, and it cannot replace conservation or solve drought on its own.
Learn more:
"Drones modified weather, dropping millions of gallons of precipitation." USA Today
