How China plans to control the Olympic weather

Friday, August 8: China want to host the best Olympics ever, and have no intention of letting raindrops spoil their extravaganza. Over 50,000 people are now employed by the Weather Modification Office, an organization with rocket launchers, planes, anti-aircraft guns and an annual budget of £50m at their disposal. This team has responsibility for making sure the showers forecasted over Beijing disrupt the opening ceremony as little as possible.

The scientific community has its doubts over how effective any measures to control the weather can be, but the Chinese point to previous successful experimentation. As Marina Hyde wrote in the Guardian, "It was clement at the giant panda festival in Sichuan a couple of years ago, apparently."

She explains how the process works. "Generally Chinese citizens are informed by the government that they will be taking up the job, whereupon they are retrained and add the skill to their portfolio - namely, being a peasant farmer. Artillery positions and rocket launchers are set up on the high points of the lands they farm and they are drilled to load up at the first sign of raindrops and await instructions. The orders emanate from Beijing HQ, then filter down to sub-bureaus, who in turn mobilise the ground operatives by mobile phone. If Beijing has deemed it the wrong sort of rain, the farmer-rainmakers are stood down." The part-time workers earn 50 yuan for every shell fired.

These shells are filled with silver iodide, which was first used in 'Project Popeye' by the US army in Vietnam to extend the monsoon over the Ho Chi Minh trail. The same tactic was used for more peaceful purposes by Russia to ensure a sunny Olympics in 1980. China also feel they can control the clouds.

FIRST POSTED AUGUST 8, 2008