Olympic-Sized Meteorology: China May Try to Alter the Weather

Chinese officials sure seem to have their heads on target for making the 2008 Olympic games safe. The Bird's Nest is ready, the plans for crowd control are in place, and even the amount of smog at the Olympics is being regulated. Chinese officials want to keep the athletes safe from smog, and the spectators safe from a wet head. Yes, the Chinese may spend a lot of money to make sure Olympic spectators don't have to suffer through (yikes!) rain. According to China's Meteorological Administration vice director Chen Zhenlin, the city can and will fire rockets into the atmosphere to prevent rain from spoiling the start of the Olympic games on August 8th.

How Can the Rain Be Stopped for the Olympics?

The ingredients for a cloud include cloud condensation nuclei. In existing clouds, these nuclei can act as a location on which moisture can collect. Condensation nuclei or cloud seeds are shot into the clouds would cause any precipitation to fall before the games even begin. While the cloud seeding rockets cannot change a heavy downpour, a drizzle of rain may be thwarted. Read more on China's plan to stop the rain.