Six cloud-seeding missions over two days
Six cloud-seeding missions have been carried out over the country since Monday morning, the National Centre of Meteorology said yesterday.
Half of the operations took place over the eastern and northern parts of the country, such as Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and east of Dubai.
The rest were performed over Abu Dhabi city and the western coastal areas of the emirate.
Rain has hit the country since Monday evening as it remains in the grip of a winter chill.
Showers fell across the capital from the early hours of yesterday morning, with videos posted on the weather bureau’s social media feeds showing downpours in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Temperatures are also dropping. The coldest recorded overnight was 3.8°C on Jebal Jais at 3.45am.
Looking ahead, a forecaster for the bureau said people could expect scattered rain across the country until this evening at least.
“Today and tonight it will be especially over the western area but extending across the country tomorrow,” he said.
He said the spell of cold weather is not unusual for this time of year. “It’s an absolutely normal situation,” the forecaster said.
The UAE’s cloud-seeding planes fly out of Al Ain. Salt crystal flares are fired into the updraft of suitable clouds in the hope that it will trigger more rainfall.
The idea is that water vapour condenses around the salt, crystallises to form ice and then falls as rain.
Seeding planes fly throughout the year and not just at times of unstable weather.
Seeding takes place when the Indian monsoons bring areas of low pressure to the eastern parts of the country in summer.
Cloud seeding is not an exact science and its relationship to how much rain has fallen is extremely difficult to quantify. Only natural salts and no harmful chemicals are used in the seeding operations, the bureau said.
The UAE established the Research Programme for Rain Enhancement in 2015 to tackle water security. It offers an annual US$5 million (Dh18m) grant to be shared by five winning scientific proposals.
The winners of this year’s grant will be announced on Wednesday next week during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
Cloud seeding is not an exact science and its relationship to how much rain has fallen is difficult to quantify