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A Test Event for Cloud Seeding?

Tuesday, 22nd April 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Sunday's April showers in Beijing
Sunday's April showers in Beijing
It is no secret that Beijing plans to use cloud seeding to control the weather before and during the Olympic period. It makes sense, then, that they would experiment with the technology ahead of the games to try to more precisely control rainfall.

With the National Stadium (a.k.a. the Bird's Nest) making its debut, hosting the race walking and marathon finishes; and with a European Tour golf tournament being played in Beijing, this past weekend would seem to be a perfect time to manipulate the weather a bit for some blue skies and more breathable air.

For those reasons, I thought the cloud-seeding powers that be would make it rain on us last Thursday or Friday, cleaning out the air and leaving the weekend skies ready to be photographed for stories in the Los Angeles Times and the International Herald-Tribune. Instead, there was no rain late last week and Saturday was a particularly dirty day in the capital, one where a walk around the block makes you want a shower. Rain clouds gathered Saturday night. It poured all day Sunday and much of Monday, slickening the marathon route and forcing golfers at the Volvo China Open to play in pretty tough conditions. The April showers also meant that the poor souls who waited three hours to buy tickets to see the synchronized swimming event in the Water Cube did so huddled under umbrellas with water seeping into their shoes.

It all begs the question: Was this past weekend also a test event for cloud seeding or just an unfortunate weather coincidence?

Tags: cloud seeding, Good Luck Beijing

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