Cloud seeding is a weather modification technique that aims to enhance a cloud's ability to produce rain or snow by introducing tiny ice nuclei into certain types of clouds. This process involves "seeding" existing clouds with a harmless substance, such as silver iodide, to allow them to form ice crystals. The resulting ice crystals then grow and fall from the clouds as precipitation, increasing snowpack and streamflow. Cloud seeding has been used for more than 60 years and is considered a well-understood practice rooted in a solid physical basis
. The first experiments with cloud seeding were conducted in 1946, and since then, seeding has been performed from aircraft, rockets, cannons, and ground generators. Many substances have been used, but solid carbon dioxide (dry ice) and silver iodide have been the most effective
. Cloud seeding can be done from ground-based generators or aircraft. The effectiveness of cloud seeding differs from project to project, but long-term cloud seeding projects in various parts of the world have shown positive results, such as an increase in snowfall
. In the U.S., cloud seeding operations take place in at least eight states across the western U.S., with varying levels of investment often shared among state agencies, utilities, and private companies. Cloud seeding is commonly used to enhance snowfall, especially in drought-plagued areas, as it can be a vital source of fresh water when it melts
