Royal rainmakers halt Phuket cloud-seeding operations

By The Phuket News

 

Bang Neow Dum reservoir in Srisoonthorn, central Phuket. Photo PR Dept

 

PHUKET: The royal rainmaking division for Southern Thailand has ceased its operations to seed clouds over Phuket to fill the island’s main reservoirs due to the annual northeast monsoon settling in and for its aircraft to undergo maintenance.

 

Taentai Ponhan, Acting Director of the Royal Rainmaking Operations Southern Center in Surat Thani, explained  yesterday (Nov 16), “The southern region is now influenced by the northeast monsoon, which has caused more rain in the South and isolated heavy rain in some places. In the beginning of November, some areas in the southern region began to be affected by heavy rain which caused flooding,” Mr Taentai said.

 

During the months of November through February is also when the Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Department’s aircraft undergo their annual repairs, he added.

Read more at https://www.thephuketnews.com/royal-rainmakers-halt-phuket-cloud-seeding-operations-73663.php#TPDLFoYVBOtF63jF.99 

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2019-11-18

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Wasnt there a south western monsoon (rainy season) the last 5 months?

Is there any evidence that the cloud seeding actually produced any rain or would it have rained anyway?

 

Regardless of the above, we didn't get enough rain this rainy season and I'm pretty sure we will be very short of water in the early months of 2020.

Trust them. They've lived here all their life. They know what they are doing.

On 11/18/2019 at 9:28 AM, madmitch said:

Is there any evidence that the cloud seeding actually produced any rain or would it have rained anyway?

It's not an issue that cloud seeding can produce rain but what is the probability that it would. Most studies I've read give cloud seeding at best a 50-50 chance of rain BUT only under optimal conditions such as correct cloud type & elevation, predictable wind direction, minimal cloud moisture content, etc. 

I read one Thai study that claimed 100% success in rainmaking in a designated area at a designated time under what I'd say were cloud optimal conditions. But there were no control regions to validate the probability of the success in general application.