As the West dries up, more companies are promising they can make it rain
Utah and other states are spending millions of dollars on cloud-seeding technology, backed by new data on its effectiveness — and driven by desperation for water.
Staff members of Rainmaker, a cloud seeding company based in El Segundo, Calif., prepare a drone for a test flight in southern Idaho, Sept. 17, 2025. States are spending millions of dollars on cloud-seeding technology, backed by new data on its effectiveness — and driven by desperation for water. (Alex Goodlett/The New York Times)