Cloud seeding is an idea that’s often thrown around as a solution to our state’s drought, but manipulating the weather to make it rain might not be as effective as once thought. A nonpartisan government agency recently completed a report on cloud seeding, and they found the science may not be as promising as the hype. Cloud seeding is the process of sending tiny particles, like salt or Silver iodide, into a cloud, which encourages it to rain and snow even more than it would have originally. Cloud seeding is nothing new. It’s been around since the 1940s. … The recent U.S. Government Accountability Office report found the effectiveness of cloud seeding to be very limited and might not be the prime solution for areas experiencing drought. According to the report, cloud seeding can produce about 10% to 20% extra rainfall. However, one of the main problems they found is that those numbers are estimates. There is no way to see if it’s actually that effective.