Cloud Seeding Did Not Cause Deadly Texas Floods, Fact-Check Reveals

Examining the Cloud Seeding Claims

• ❓ Online rumors falsely suggest that recent cloud seeding operations caused the deadly flash floods in Texas on July 4th.
• 📢 Social media posts, including one from a Republican congressional candidate, claimed that a company called Rain Maker's operation on July 2nd directly led to the historical flooding just two days later.
• 📈 Screenshots appearing to be from NOAA were shared, showing Rain Maker conducted a rain enhancement operation in Texas on July 2nd.

Rain Maker's Response and Scientific Analysis

• 🚫 The CEO of Rain Maker stated that their company did not operate in the affected area on July 3rd or 4th and did not contribute to the floods.
• 💨 He clarified that the last seeding mission was on the afternoon of July 2nd, involving two clouds that dissipated over 24 hours before the storm complex that produced the flooding rainfall.
• ⚠️ Rain Maker suspended operations indefinitely on July 2nd due to observed unusually high moisture content, according to a senior meteorologist.

Expert Consensus on Cloud Seeding Limitations

• 🔬 Award-winning meteorologist Travis Herzog stated it is physically impossible for cloud seeding to create a storm of the magnitude seen in Texas.
• 💧 Cloud seeding cannot create a cloud; it can only enhance rainfall from an existing cloud by up to 20%.
• 💬 Meteorologists and weather experts, like Matthew Capucci, agree that cloud seeding played zero role in the deadly Texas floods, as it's a small-scale process that doesn't create moisture.

Texas Hill Country's Flood Prone Landscape

• 🏞️ The Texas Hill Country region has historically been prone to deadly flooding and is known as "flash flood alley."
• ⛰️ This is attributed to its landscape, featuring dry, dirt-packed areas where soil skids on the surface rather than soaking in, combined with hilly terrain.

Fact-Check Verdict

• ✅ Based on scientific analysis and meteorologists' consensus, the claim linking cloud seeding to the deadly Texas flash floods is false.