Fact Check: Unraveling claims cloud seeding caused deadly Texas floods in 2025
Rainmaker Technology Corporation's cloud seeding mission caused deadly flooding in parts of Texas over Fourth of July weekend in 2025.
Rating:
Context:
Rainmaker did carry out a cloud seeding mission over south-central Texas on July 2, 2025, the company's CEO confirmed. But meteorologists said cloud seeding was not responsible for the powerful storms that led to deadly flooding in Texas.
As the death toll from flash floods in central Texas over the 2025 Fourth of July weekend continued to climb, some people on social media suggested cloud seeding conducted by the company Rainmaker Technology Corporation was to blame for the devastating weather event.
The floods killed more than 100 people and left others missing, including girls who attended a summer camp.
In a post on July 6, 2025, one X user wrote, in part:
Meet AUGUSTUS DORICKO, a 25-YEAR-OLD TECH BRO and THIEL FELLOW, who founded the weather modification startup RAINMAKER. According to publicly available info, Doricko's company was reportedly cloud seeding over parts of Texas just 2 DAYS before historic flooding hit those same regions.
On July 5, 2025, another X user shared what appeared to be screenshots of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) report on weather modification activities. The alleged report showed Rainmaker participated in "rain enhancement" in Texas.
A similar claim suggesting Rainmaker's cloud seeding caused flooding in Texas circulated on Instagram. Snopes readers also asked whether cloud seeding caused the Texas floods.
Rainmaker did carry out a cloud seeding mission over the eastern part of south-central Texas on July 2, 2025, Augustus Doricko, the company's CEO, confirmed in a thread shared on X. But meteorologists said cloud seeding was not responsible for the powerful storms that led to deadly flooding in Texas. Therefore, we've rated this claim false.
Doricko added that the company "did not operate in the affected area on the 3rd or 4th or contribute to the floods that occurred over the region."
Cloud seeding is a "decades-old approach to modifying weather that uses a range of supporting technologies for research and operations," the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) explained in a December 2024 report. It is commonly used to increase precipitation or suppress hail, usually by adding tiny particles of silver iodide, the GAO said, citing NOAA.
In an email to Snopes, a spokesperson for NOAA debunked claims that cloud seeding was to blame for the deadly Texas storms and resulting floods:
The amount of precipitation created by cloud seeding is generally marginal and localized.
Meteorologists agree cloud seeding could not generate precipitation of this magnitude or size.
Cloud seeding does not add moisture to the atmosphere. This event could only have occurred if abundant moisture was already present.
Two meteorologists also independently confirmed cloud seeding did not cause the powerful Texas storms and resulting floods.
Travis Herzog, chief meteorologist at ABC13 in Houston, Texas, addressed the claims in a Facebook post on July 6, 2025. He wrote, in part:
Cloud seeding cannot create a storm of this magnitude or size. In fact, cloud seeding cannot even create a single cloud. All it can do is take an existing cloud and enhance the rainfall by up to 20%. Most estimates have the rainfall enhancement in a much lower range.
Herzog said he was not aware of any cloud seeding operations that occurred on July 3, 2025, but added that it is "physically impossible for that to have created this weather system."
Remaining moisture from what was Tropical Storm Barry was "primarily responsible" for the flooding in Texas, Herzog said. "Upper level moisture" from what was once Hurricane Flossie in the Pacific also contributed to the flood event, he added.
Jeremy Baker, a meteorologist at KENS 5 in San Antonio, Texas, agreed with Herzog's assessment. In an email to Snopes, he said:
No, cloud seeding could not create a storm powerful enough to cause the flooding that occurred in the Hill Country. With optimal moisture and an existing cloud structure, cloud seeding would, at best, enhance rainfall by 10%-20%. This flood was caused by a natural atmospheric low that stalled over the area for several hours. The terrain and tributaries feeding into the Guadalupe only made the situation much worse, resulting in the devastating flood.
The Texas Hill Country region, where the deadly 2025 floods occurred, is prone to flooding, earning the nickname "Flash Flood Alley."
"Following the curve of the Balcones Escarpment through Texas' middle — from Waco south to Uvalde — Flash Flood Alley's weather and landscape distinctively work together to produce rapid flood events," Leslie Lee with the Texas Water Resources Institute wrote on its website.
The NOAA spokesperson clarified that the federal agency "does not perform, study, monitor, fund or evaluate cloud seeding activities," adding:
NOAA is required by law to track weather modification activities by others, including cloud seeding, but has no authority to regulate those activities
Cloud seeding is typically practiced by private companies to help generate snow in western mountain bases in the winter or to replenish water reservoirs in the desert southwest in the summer, NOAA said on its website.
Any company that intends to take part in weather modification activities within the U.S. is required to provide a report to NOAA at least 10 days beforehand, according to the agency.
The NOAA spokesperson addressed the document that circulated on social media, saying it was a "copy of an initial activity report filed in February, noting a private organization's intention to hire a contractor to conduct cloud seeding between March and November."
Doricko addressed claims that his company's practices contributed to the flooding in Texas.
In an X post shared on July 5, 2025, he said, in part, "Rainmaker did not operate in the affected area on the 3rd or 4th or contribute to the floods that occurred over the region."
Doricko confirmed that Rainmaker did seed clouds in south-central Texas on July 2, but said the company did not conduct any operations that could have impacted the floods.
In his X post, Doricko wrote, in part:
The last seeding mission prior to the July 4th event was during the early afternoon of July 2nd, when a brief cloud seeding mission was flown over the eastern portions of south-central Texas, and two clouds were seeded.
The clouds "persisted for about two hours after seeding before dissipating" between 3 and 4 p.m. CDT, Doricko said. The typical lifespan of natural clouds is 30 minutes to a few hours, and it's rare for "even the most persistent storm systems" to maintain "the same cloud structure" for more than 12 to 18 hours, he added.
Doricko said the clouds that were seeded on July 2, 2025, "dissipated over 24 hours prior to the developing storm complex that would produce the flooding rainfall" in Texas.
He continued:
A senior meteorologist observed an unusually high moisture content prior to the event's arrival, using NWS sounding data. It was at this point that our meteorologists determined that we would suspend future operations indefinitely. As you can see, we suspended operations on July 2nd, a day before the NWS issued any flood warning.
X (Formerly Twitter), 5 July 2025, x.com/ADoricko/status/1941628111524880488. Accessed 8 July 2025.
Facebook.com, 6 July 2025, www.facebook.com/TravisABC13/posts/how-could-this-happen-its-a-question-many-of-us-are-asking-with-broken-hearts-as/1278872920273979/. Accessed 8 July 2025.
Staff, KENS. "Meet the KENS 5 Team: Jeremy Baker." Kens5.com, KENS, 29 Dec. 2017, www.kens5.com/article/about-us/team-bios/jeremy-baker-meet-the-kens-5-team/273-503273039. Accessed 8 July 2025.
Jacobo, Julia, et al. "The History of 'Flash Flood Alley,' the Hilly Region in Texas Prone to Flooding Emergencies." ABC News, 7 July 2025, abcnews.go.com/US/history-flash-flood-alley-hilly-region-texas-prone/story?id=123531672. Accessed 8 July 2025.
Lee, Leslie. "Do You Live in Flash Flood Alley? | TWRI." Twri.tamu.edu, twri.tamu.edu/publications/txh2o/2016/fall-2016/do-you-live-in-flash-flood-alley/. Accessed 8 July 2025.
NOAA. "Fact Check: Debunking Weather Modification Claims." Noaa.gov, 23 Oct. 2024, www.noaa.gov/news/fact-check-debunking-weather-modification-claims. Accessed 8 July 2025.
"NOAA Library: Weather and Climate Collections: Weather Modification Project Reports." Noaa.gov, 2021, library.noaa.gov/friendly.php?s=weather-climate/weather-modification-project-reports. Accessed 8 July 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
16 minutes ago
- CBS News
Seasonally warm Wednesday ahead across North Texas
After a cloudy Wednesday morning, a seasonal afternoon is ahead in North Texas with highs in the mid-90s and "feels-like" temperatures in the triple digits. High pressure building in from the east will keep today's 10% rain chance in the western counties. North Texas is entering a hot and muggy stretch with highs warming into the upper 90s and "feels-like" temperatures to near 105 degrees. A few clouds are possible Friday into Saturday as a tropical disturbance heads towards Louisiana. There could be a few showers in the southeast counties Friday evening because of the disturbance. The broad area of low pressure has crossed the Florida peninsula after bringing heavy rainfall to the area. The disturbance has a medium chance of developing over the few days. If it moves into the warm Gulf waters, it has a better chance of strengthening. However, if it continues to skirt the coastline, the interaction with land will likely hinder its development. If it becomes a named storm, the next name on the list is Dexter. Those along the north central Gulf coast should continue to monitor its progress as heavy rain and flooding are likely.
CBS News
16 minutes ago
- CBS News
Texas National Guard continues flood response with Czech team joining effort
Kerrville, Texas – With about 100 people still missing after devastating floods, the Texas National Guard and local officials leading recovery efforts received additional international support this week when a specialized detachment from the Czech Republic arrived ready to help. Sixteen civilians and four cadaver dogs from a Czech search and rescue team landed Sunday in Texas on a U.S. military flight from Ramstein Air Base in Germany. National Guard Bureau Chief General Steve Nordhaus coordinated the team's arrival and met the team leads in person on Tuesday while he was visiting Kerrville, Texas, for updates on response efforts. "Thanks for being here, Texas and the Czech Republic were partners right from the beginning in 1993 and what just an amazing partnership," Nordhaus told the team leads at the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport. The Texas and Nebraska National Guard have since 1993 shared a military relationship with the Czech Republic as part of the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program that pairs states with countries to train together. There are over 100 partnerships with about 115 countries around the world, according to the National Guard, and the one with the Czech Republic was one of the first after the initiative began in 1991. The Czechs providing support in the wake of floods in Texas follows assistance the Texas National Guard gave last year when the Czech Republic experienced severe flooding. When a flood hit Ostrava in the Czech Republic in September 2024, a Texas Air National Guard unit training in Europe diverted an MQ-9 Reaper drone to Ostrava to provide aerial assessments for recovery efforts. In Texas, about 230 members of the Texas National Guard are currently supporting response efforts. According to the Texas National Guard, members of the guard rescued over 500 people in the initial 24 hours after the flooding began. About 360 of those were evacuated using UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. During a Black Hawk flight over the Guadalupe River Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott pointed out to Nordhaus flood-impacted areas, explaining where the water rose at a terrifying speed – prompting urgent evacuations – and emphasizing how intensive the search will remain for the roughly 100 people still unaccounted for. After the flight, both Abbott and Nordhaus spoke to members of the Guard who have assisted in rescue and recovery efforts since the floods began on July 4. One of the air rescues came on July 4 when two Guard helicopters evacuated 130 children from Camp Mystic, a summer camp severely impacted by floods that led to the deaths of at least 27 campers and counselors. The 130 rescued the day of the flood by the guard were evacuated from Camp Mystic and taken to higher ground, according to Captain Connor Garrison, who led one of the aircraft and recounted the mission to Nordhaus and Abbott. "I appreciate you, I couldn't be prouder," Abbott told Garrison and other members of the Guard. The Texas National Guard is receiving support from other states like Arkansas, Arizona and North Dakota, which are providing additional personnel or equipment. For instance, North Dakota has sent down one of its own MQ-9 Reaper drones to help survey debris scattered along the still swollen Guadalupe River.
CBS News
16 minutes ago
- CBS News
Risk of strong storms, heavy rain across Maryland has prompted an Alert Day on Wednesday
Under a mix of sun and clouds, temperatures are warming into the low and mid-80s across greater Baltimore late Wednesday morning. Temperatures are forecast to continue warming through early afternoon. Temperatures peak in the mid and upper 80s between 3 and 5 p.m. It'll feel several degrees hotter than what the thermometer says, thanks to all the humidity today. As temperatures warm, showers and storms will develop along the bay breeze and across western Maryland, setting the stage for a stormy evening. Slow-moving downpours are possible across portions of the Baltimore metro after 2 p.m. The chance of rain and storms increases further during the early evening hours. Strong, to severe, storms will organize over western Maryland late this afternoon and sweep eastward through the evening hours. The stormiest weather is expected to occur between 5 and 10 p.m. A few thunderstorms may become severe and produce damaging wind gusts up to 65 MPH. A brief tornado cannot be ruled out. Any storm that develops Wednesday will be capable of producing heavy rain. More than 2" of rain could fall in less than an hour in a few spots. Street flooding is expected where the heaviest rain falls. Have, at least, one way to be alerted to severe weather in your area. The CBS News App is a free, reliable option if you're out and about Wednesday evening. Rain gradually diminishes by after 9 p.m. The setup that is forecast to produce a stormy Wednesday evening will stick around Thursday. Plan on another round of heat and humidity, followed by afternoon thunderstorms. Storms may remain a bit more isolated Thursday. However, any storm that develops will produce heavy rain and could become severe. A more typical summer-time weather forecast arrives this weekend. We remain hot and humid, but with a more isolated chance of rain. The chance of rain peaks between 1 and 8 p.m. each day. A change in the weather pattern across the Mid-Atlantic is set to arrive late in the weekend, heading into next workweek. A period a drier weather is in the forecast Monday and Tuesday, with seasonably hot weather. Storms may return heading into the middle of the week. But, at least a brief reprieve is in the forecast.
