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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Debunking claim Rainmaker cloud seeding caused Texas floods
Claim: 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. In the aftermath of deadly flash floods that swept through Texas Hill Country in July 2025, some people online suggested the storms may have been manufactured through a weather modification technique called cloud seeding. The cloud seeding operations were conducted by a company called Rainmaker Technology Corporation, the posts alleged. On July 5, 2025, one 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. Similar claims suggesting Rainmaker's cloud seeding caused flooding in Texas circulated elsewhere on X and 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. Heavy flooding isn't uncommon in Texas Hill Country, where the deadly 2025 floods occurred, either. The region is one of the most flood-prone in the nation and has earned the nickname "Flash Flood Alley." The area's "weather and landscape distinctively work together to produce rapid flood events," Leslie Lee with the Texas Water Resources Institute wrote on its website. As far as cloud seeding is concerned, the NOAA spokesperson clarified that the federal agency "does not perform, study, monitor, fund or evaluate" such 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, Accessed 8 July 2025. 6 July 2025, Accessed 8 July 2025. Staff, KENS. "Meet the KENS 5 Team: Jeremy Baker." KENS, 29 Dec. 2017, 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, Accessed 8 July 2025. Lee, Leslie. "Do You Live in Flash Flood Alley? | TWRI." Accessed 8 July 2025. NOAA. "Fact Check: Debunking Weather Modification Claims." 23 Oct. 2024, Accessed 8 July 2025. "NOAA Library: Weather and Climate Collections: Weather Modification Project Reports." 2021, Accessed 8 July 2025.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Unraveling claims cloud seeding caused deadly Texas floods in 2025
Claim: 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, Accessed 8 July 2025. 6 July 2025, Accessed 8 July 2025. Staff, KENS. "Meet the KENS 5 Team: Jeremy Baker." KENS, 29 Dec. 2017, 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, Accessed 8 July 2025. Lee, Leslie. "Do You Live in Flash Flood Alley? | TWRI." Accessed 8 July 2025. NOAA. "Fact Check: Debunking Weather Modification Claims." 23 Oct. 2024, Accessed 8 July 2025. "NOAA Library: Weather and Climate Collections: Weather Modification Project Reports." 2021, Accessed 8 July 2025.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Buresh Blog: Texas catastrophic flooding... Hottest time of the year... U.S. tornadoes
To become a part of the First Alert Neighborhood weather station network powered by Tempest - scan below &/or click * here *: Updated every day throughout the hurricane season - 'Talking the Tropics With Mike'. The world is watching & mourning as Texas reels from catastrophic flooding over the July 4th weekend. As of Tue., July 8th, the death toll is 109 & will undoubtedly go higher as dozens are missing. To put this in some perspective, there have been 765 flooding deaths in the U.S. since 1980. So the Texas death toll from a single flash flood event is a staggering 14%(+) of all the deaths attributed to flooding in the United States since 1980. There is a lot to dissect about how & why this tragedy formed & unfolded & why so many lives were lost. Some very important points to begin with: the Texas Hill country is a known to be prone to flash flooding & has a history of such there were some cloud seeding operations more than 24 hours prior - by Rainmaker Technology. But cloud seeding only seeds existing clouds & studies indicate the peak estimated increase in rainfall is only near 20 percent IF successful. This was a *natural* disaster. this was no one's 'fault' - politically or otherwise the flash flood was *not* manufactured by, created by or or manipulated in any way by humans or human technology. The National Weather Service offices in Texas - San Antonio & San Angelo specifically - did a good job issuing watches, warnings & advisories with adequate staff available & working during the flash flooding. Camp Mystic has grabbed many of the headlines as 20+ children, counselors & the owner lost their lives along the violently rising Guadalupe River. The river rose an astonishing 26 feet in less than 5 hours! Some folks (meteorologists & not) have blamed former tropical storm 'Barry' for the Texas deluge. So I looked back at the weather charts. What was a very weak Barry came ashore June 30th on the east central coast of Mexico. There is no recognizable spin (low pressure) at the surface shortly after landfall nor is there any upper level spin (vorticity) visible from the remnants of what would have been Barry. There was a strong push of tropical moisture northward from Mexico but that was amidst an already nearly saturated air mass that was engulfing much of Texas due to broad southerly flow out of Mexico & off the Gulf. So personally I don't believe Barry was the true cause & the death toll should not be attributed to Barry. But given the scope of the disaster, it's just semantics & the National Hurricane Center will most likely make the final call. So it appears it was small scale weather features (mesoscale) that came together at the wrong time in the wrong place to cause the disaster. During the middle of the night July 3/4, a complex of heavy thunderstorms developed over Central Texas eventually forming its own atmosphere, of sorts - a mesoscale convective system (MCS). The system managed to develop an upper level disturbance with a cyclonic (low pressure/counterclockwise) circulation. This helped to 'lift' the warm, tropical air mass even more & sustained slow moving thunderstorms over the same area for hours with rainfall rates of 3-5 inches per hour! Also included in the recipe: early morning - well before sunrise, so it was dark. long holiday weekend so campgrounds were full hilly terrain with topographical input helping to cause very fast currents Radar imagery from July 3-4 centered on Texas: Infrared satellite imagery: Moving on ... Jacksonville is now in the true 'Dog Days' of summer. Our avg. high temp. at 92 degrees is the hottest of the year & continues to be the avg. into early Aug. Our avg. high temp. does not fall below 90 degrees until near the end of Aug. Stay cool & drink lots of water! I came across this very interesting map - from 'PAwx' on 'X' of the strongest tornadoes ever recorded in each county in the U.S.. For instance - the strongest in Duval Co. is an EF-2... in St. Johns Co. - an EF-3:


The Independent
08-07-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
FACT FOCUS: No, weather modification did not cause the deadly flash floods in Texas
As authorities search for victims of the flash floods in Texas that killed more than 100 people over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, social media users are spreading false claims that the devastation was caused by weather modification. Many pointed to one process in particular, blaming cloud seeding performed on July 2 by a California-based company for the tragedy. But officials say there is no evidence that the floods are the result of cloud seeding and experts agree that cloud seeding would not result in precipitation of this magnitude. Here's a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: A July 2 cloud seeding operation by Rainmaker Technology Corporation caused flash floods in the Texas Hill Country over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. THE FACTS: This is false. It is not possible that cloud seeding generated the floods, according to experts, as the process can only produce limited precipitation using clouds that already exist. Forecasts predicted rain for that weekend prior to July 2 in an area that was already prone to flooding. 'The claim that cloud seeding played a role in this tragic event is complete nonsense,' said Andrew Dessler, director of Texas A&M University's Texas Center for Extreme Weather. Dev Niyogi, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies extreme weather, said it is 'extremely unlikely' cloud seeding played a role in the floods. He cited weather factors as the reason: 'the moisture flow coming into the area and the widespread rains the system had, as well as the forecast of very heavy rains over the wider area.' Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said at a press briefing on Monday that 'to the best of my knowledge, there is zero evidence of anything related to anything like weather modification' when asked about such speculation. He added: 'The internet is a strange place. People can come up with all sorts of crazy theories.' Nonetheless, social media users questioned whether Rainmaker's operations could be connected to the disaster in Texas. 'Well … this is weird … A company called Rainmaker, conducted a cloud seeding mission on July 2 over Texas Hill Country,' reads one X post. '2 days later, the worst flood in their history occurred … in the exact same area that the Rainmaker flights were. The entire goal of Rainmaker is to increase the precipitation of existing clouds. Why do we let these corporations f — k with the weather?' Many posts also noted Rainmaker's connection to Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, who cofounded the data-mining outfit Palantir Technologies, a secretive company that has long relied on spies, police, and the military as its customers. The Thiel Foundation awarded Rainmaker founder and CEO Augustus Doricko $100,000 in 2024 as part of its fellowship program. Cloud seeding utilizes an artificial material — typically silver iodide — to induce precipitation or clear fog. The practice is an imprecise undertaking with mixed results. Dessler explained that 'cloud seeding can work in certain limited situations and produce very modest increases in precipitation,' but often delivers nothing.' Regardless, the process cannot create storms out of thin air. Ken Leppert, an associate professor of atmospheric science at the University of Louisiana Monroe, said it 'had absolutely nothing' to do with the flash floods in Texas. 'Cloud seeding works by adding aerosols to existing clouds,' he said. 'It doesn't work by helping to create a cloud/storm that doesn't already exist. The storms that produced the rainfall and flooding in Texas were not in existence two days before the event.' The Texas Hill Country, in the central part of the state, is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry, dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up. After a flood watch notice was issued midday on July 3, the National Weather Service issued an urgent warning overnight for at least 30,000 people. The July 4 flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the dark early morning hours. There was so much rain that the Guadalupe River rose higher than it has in 93 years by almost a foot, according to local reports. 'The natural disaster in the Texan Hill Country is a tragedy. My prayers are with Texas,' Doricko, the Rainmaker CEO, wrote as part of a series of X posts. 'Rainmaker did not operate in the affected area on the 3rd or 4th or contribute to the floods that occurred over the region.' He said Rainmaker's last cloud seeding operation prior to the floods occurred in the early afternoon on July 2 over eastern portions of south-central Texas. Two clouds were seeded and remained in the sky for about two hours before dissipating. Rainmaker suspended its cloud seeding operations indefinitely the same day in response to 'unusually high moisture content.' ___

Associated Press
08-07-2025
- Climate
- Associated Press
FACT FOCUS: No, weather modification did not cause the deadly flash floods in Texas
As authorities search for victims of the flash floods in Texas that killed more than 100 people over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, social media users are spreading false claims that the devastation was caused by weather modification. Many pointed to one process in particular, blaming cloud seeding performed on July 2 by a California-based company for the tragedy. But officials say there is no evidence that the floods are the result of cloud seeding and experts agree that cloud seeding would not result in precipitation of this magnitude. Here's a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: A July 2 cloud seeding operation by Rainmaker Technology Corporation caused flash floods in the Texas Hill Country over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. THE FACTS: This is false. It is not possible that cloud seeding generated the floods, according to experts, as the process can only produce limited precipitation using clouds that already exist. Forecasts predicted rain for that weekend prior to July 2 in an area that was already prone to flooding. 'The claim that cloud seeding played a role in this tragic event is complete nonsense,' said Andrew Dessler, director of Texas A&M University's Texas Center for Extreme Weather. Dev Niyogi, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin who studies extreme weather, said it is 'extremely unlikely' cloud seeding played a role in the floods. He cited weather factors as the reason: 'the moisture flow coming into the area and the widespread rains the system had, as well as the forecast of very heavy rains over the wider area.' Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said at a press briefing on Monday that 'to the best of my knowledge, there is zero evidence of anything related to anything like weather modification' when asked about such speculation. He added: 'The internet is a strange place. People can come up with all sorts of crazy theories.' Nonetheless, social media users questioned whether Rainmaker's operations could be connected to the disaster in Texas. 'Well … this is weird … A company called Rainmaker, conducted a cloud seeding mission on July 2 over Texas Hill Country,' reads one X post. '2 days later, the worst flood in their history occurred … in the exact same area that the Rainmaker flights were. The entire goal of Rainmaker is to increase the precipitation of existing clouds. Why do we let these corporations f — k with the weather?' Many posts also noted Rainmaker's connection to Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, who cofounded the data-mining outfit Palantir Technologies, a secretive company that has long relied on spies, police, and the military as its customers. The Thiel Foundation awarded Rainmaker founder and CEO Augustus Doricko $100,000 in 2024 as part of its fellowship program. Cloud seeding utilizes an artificial material — typically silver iodide — to induce precipitation or clear fog. The practice is an imprecise undertaking with mixed results. Dessler explained that 'cloud seeding can work in certain limited situations and produce very modest increases in precipitation,' but often delivers nothing.' Regardless, the process cannot create storms out of thin air. Ken Leppert, an associate professor of atmospheric science at the University of Louisiana Monroe, said it 'had absolutely nothing' to do with the flash floods in Texas. 'Cloud seeding works by adding aerosols to existing clouds,' he said. 'It doesn't work by helping to create a cloud/storm that doesn't already exist. The storms that produced the rainfall and flooding in Texas were not in existence two days before the event.' The Texas Hill Country, in the central part of the state, is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry, dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up. After a flood watch notice was issued midday on July 3, the National Weather Service issued an urgent warning overnight for at least 30,000 people. The July 4 flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the dark early morning hours. There was so much rain that the Guadalupe River rose higher than it has in 93 years by almost a foot, according to local reports. 'The natural disaster in the Texan Hill Country is a tragedy. My prayers are with Texas,' Doricko, the Rainmaker CEO, wrote as part of a series of X posts. 'Rainmaker did not operate in the affected area on the 3rd or 4th or contribute to the floods that occurred over the region.' He said Rainmaker's last cloud seeding operation prior to the floods occurred in the early afternoon on July 2 over eastern portions of south-central Texas. Two clouds were seeded and remained in the sky for about two hours before dissipating. Rainmaker suspended its cloud seeding operations indefinitely the same day in response to 'unusually high moisture content.' ___ Find AP Fact Checks here: