Cloud seeding is growing in popularity with Utah lawmakers supporting the effort, and the Wasatch Back is just one location in the state where the scientific practice makes a difference in precipitation. This year, the state’s cloud seeding budget jumped to $16 million to support the efforts.   Jonathan Jennings is the state’s cloud seeding coordinator and a meteorologist with the Utah Division of Water Resources. He oversees and builds the cloud seeding program, manages contracts and determines where to send resources. Nowadays, he said, there are many new venture companies aggressively pursuing cloud seeding.  Jennings broke down what cloud seeding really is.  “It’s very simply the act of introducing favorable nuclei into an already existing cloud to promote droplet growth and ice nucleation, enhancing precipitation,” Jennings explained.  Essentially, cloud seeding makes it rain or snow more than it otherwise would.  Though the concept sounds modern — especially with new venture companies utilizing drones and planes to reach said clouds — Jennings said two scientists from General Electric started the effort in the 1940s. They found that silver iodide can nucleate ice crystals at around negative 5 degrees Celsius.  “They were doing some icing experiments for aircraft, and when they found that out, they started to think about how it could be used to target super-cold liquid water in clouds,” Jennings said.  Cloud seeding efforts spread. In 1973, the Utah Legislature passed the Cloud Seeding Act to oversee state projects. It provided a regulatory framework for licensing and permitting programs, but also involved the state in cost-share programs. For example, local entities could pay for cloud seeding, and the state could reimburse up to 50% of expenses.  The practice of cloud seeding is becoming increasingly necessary, it seems, in Utah. Extreme drought is spreading throughout the state. On May 21, Gov. Spencer Cox issued a state of emergency due to drought conditions.  In the Wasatch Back, ski resorts suffered through the 2025-26 winter season. A record-low snowpack year and unseasonable warmth forced some resorts to close early. That prompted some economic strain on Vail Resorts. But Jennings said there are no local partners such as ski resorts or service districts in either Summit or Wasatch counties participating in cloud seeding.  “Deer Valley Resort is not pursuing cloud seeding. However, we are open to learning more about the practice and its potential impacts,” Deer Valley representatives said in a prepared statement. Park City Mountain did not respond to requests for comment ahead of publication.  As statewide cloud seeding budgets increase and data show improved results, Jennings said he hopes to see more local cooperation across Utah. In Wasatch County, Jennings said local organizations, including ski resorts, would “certainly benefit” from additional cloud seeding.  “There hasn’t been a big relationship between the contractors and the ski areas. I think that’s changing, but those are the primary folks that have the funding that could support cloud seeding efforts,” Jennings said.  Jennings said the Kamas Valley, specifically the western Uinta Mountains, is a focus of cloud seeding programs in the Wasatch Back. “We call that really the heartbeat of water resources of Utah because you have the headwaters of the Provo, the Weber, the Bear, the Duchesne. We really like focusing in that area,” Jennings said.  The ground-based generator program has been operating in the western Uinta Mountains for more than 30 years. Cloud seeding results show anywhere from a 6% to a 12% increase in snowpack. That translates to about a 12% increase in runoff.  “Specifically for that area alone, we’re probably talking about 50,000 acre-feet of additional water,” Jennings said. “That’s very significant.” There are two common misconceptions about cloud seeding, Jennings explained. The first is the question about whether cloud seeding is safe. The short answer is: yes.  “It’s not toxic,” Jennings said. “You would need to cloud seed for well over 10,000 years before you even start to have an effect.” The second is whether cloud seeding is “robbing Peter to pay Paul,” Jennings said. That’s to say: if cloud seeding makes snow more in the Wasatch Front, it will snow less in the Uinta Basin.  “This is an open system, so as you pull in moisture into a cloud and deplete it through precipitation, as long as that source of moisture is still occurring … it’s just going to continue to replenish itself,” Jennings said.  Cloud seeding programs in the Kamas Valley work better than any programs in Wasatch County ever would, Jennings said, because of the downslope winds off the Wasatch Back mountains. But Jennings said the area still poses a concern in terms of precipitation and snowfall.  “It’s certainly a concern,” Jennings said, adding that the downslope winds pose an unworkable challenge. “That’s not exactly conducive for getting our material into the clouds.” The one area that’s being targeted most aggressively with cloud seeding, he said, is the Bear River Basin. About 60% of inflows into the Great Salt Lake come from the Bear River.  Mostly, Jennings said the state uses ground generators. They were manually operated in decades past, but that’s changed recently with more modernized technology.  “People actually had to go outside in the elements and turn the generators on, and that meant we had to keep them at locations where people could access them,” Jennings said.  Now, it’s a remote game with more optimized locations for effective cloud seeding.  “We could site these at more optimal locations, at higher elevations, and do not have to rely on private landowners,” Jennings said.  And partnerships with new companies have provided the opportunity to use drones. Jennings said the equipment can be fickle and tricky to use, but overall, flight hours have increased and cloud seeding, too, in turn.  Specifically, Jennings said the state has partnered with a California-founded cloud seeding company called Rainmaker. It’s a technology startup that uses unmanned drones and weather tracking to improve cloud seeding efforts.  For years, Jennings said Utah’s cloud seeding was flying in icy conditions for about 50 flight hours. Then, the state began “dabbling” in drone work with Rainmaker.  “We were able to have drones in the air for over 400 hours,” Jennings said.  About 10 times the amount of flight time is a huge bonus of drone work, he said. The Wasatch Back, he said, would generally see increased results from cloud seeding. Until more local partnerships emerge, Jennings said the technology will remain focused around the Kamas Valley. The post Cloud seeding is already making a difference in the Wasatch Back and statewide appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less