Since the deluge of rain at the weekend, everybody has been asking the same question: was cloud seeding responsible for the three-day downpour across the UAE?

Simply put, no.

Firstly, the torrential rain was a result of a storm that swept through a large swathe of the region, from Saudi Arabia, into the UAE, Iran, and on to Oman.

And while the UAE was cloud seeding at the time, experts have said the process would never have resulted in the heavy downpours that fell across the country.

But it could have played a minor role. The National explains how.

How does cloud seeding work?

Cloud seeding is simply a method of artificially encouraging a cloud to produce rain. Planes are fitted with special flares that are loaded with salt crystals and fired into convective, or warm, clouds that have an updraft — or rising current of air. The updraft then sucks up the salt crystals into the cloud, and they attract tiny particles of water that collide, becoming heavier and then falling as rain.

We can’t confirm that the large amounts of rain the fell across the country was caused by cloud seeding operations National Centre of Meteorology

How much rain does the process produce?

Many scientists are sceptical as to whether it results in any additional rain at all. One study from the United States’ National Academy of Sciences failed to find statistically significant evidence in favour of it. But it has been used for decades by countries all over the world.

The US military seeded clouds during the Vietnam War, which is believed to have extended the monsoon season by a month. Cloud seeding was also used in the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in an attempt to remove radioactive particles from clouds before they reached Moscow.

Austria, China, Australia and the UAE are just some of the countries which now use it routinely. The UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology has said that in hazy conditions there is likely to be a 10 to 15 per cent increase in the rainfall generated by a cloud, while in clearer conditions the increase is about 35 per cent, but more research is needed to determine its true impact.

A municipal worker drains flood waters close to Ibn Battuta and Discovery Gardens on Sunday. Ruel Pableo for The National Signs were blown down across the city. Ruel Pableo for The National A driver tries to drain water from his car near Ibn Battuta mall. Ruel Pableo for The National An abandoned car sits in flood water near the low-lying Discovery Gardens, one of the worst-hit areas. Ruel Pableo for The National Drivers were caught out by sudden downpours for a third day in a row on Sunday, with many getting stuck. Ruel Pableo for The National Motorists appear to have abandoned their vehicles in this image from Ibn Battuta. Ruel Pableo for The National A rainbow appears among the clouds in Abu Dhabi. Talib Jariwala / The National Cloudy weather once again around the Corniche area in Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari for The National High winds caused damage to many buildings, including this one in Abu Dhabi's Tourist Club area. Khushnum Bhandari for The National Dark clouds over the skyline of Dubai with Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. AFP The sign for Last Exit food truck park in Jebel Ali was torn by high winds. Ruel Pableo for The National So was this advert for Nakheel properties on Sheikh Zayed Road. Ruel Pableo for The National Torn billboards flutter in high winds on Sheikh Zayed Road on Sunday. Ruel Pableo for The National The low-lying Jebel Ali area is particularly badly hit. Ruel Pableo for The National Flooding at a car park by lorries and buses in Jebel Ali on Sunday morning. Ruel Pableo for The National Municipality workers use a pump at a waterlogged road in Internet City on Sunday. Ruel Pableo for The National Roads around Internet City were waterlogged after a fresh downpour about 7.30am on Sunday. Ruel Pableo Commuters head to work through Discovery Gardens. Ruel Pableo for The National A municipality worker clearing debris in Discovery Gardens. Ruel Pableo foir The National Rain clouds loom over the road to Abu Dhabi at 7am on Sunday morning. Commuters were hit with patches of driving rain from about 8am. Suhail Rather / The National Municipal workers attempt to clear a flooded tunnel in Sharjah on Sunday morning. Courtesy: Sharjah Municipality The National Center for Search and Rescue said the first rescue mission took place on Saturday morning when they received a report about two men being trapped due to flash floods in Wadi Ghashabah. A helicopter was immediately dispatched to the site where the two men, of Sudanese nationality, were found clinging to a tree about 50 meters away from the Wadi banks. The rescue team managed to airlift the men and take them to safety. Courtesy NSRC Flooding on Al Ishoush St, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National Flooding on Al Ishoush St, Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National Overcast skies over Corniche in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National Commuters battle high water along the Al Manara and Beach road intersection. Antonie Robertson / The National Heavy rains in Dubai during the night caused extensive flooding at intersections within the city. Antonie Robertson / The National Commuters battle high water along the Al Manara and Beach road intersection. Antonie Robertson / The National Water is logged outside the Movenpick Ibn Batutta Gate Hotel from heavy overnight rain. James O'Hara / The National Water is logged outside the Movenpick Ibn Batutta Gate Hotel from heavy overnight rain. James O'Hara / The National Traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road going to Abu Dhabi. Ramola Talwar / The National Traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road going to Abu Dhabi. Ramola Talwar / The National A car drives through a waterlogged road near Al Bateen airport. Scott Walker A delivery van struggles to navigate flood waters near Al Bateen airport in Abu Dhabi on Saturday about 9am. Courtesy: Scott Walker A man sweeps water from the running track along Kite Beach. Antonie Robertson / The National Residents of The Greens enjoy their morning walk in the early drizzle. Antonie Robertson / The National Barsha Heights saw a medium amount of flooding that still proved challenging to morning commuters. Antonie Robertson / The National Barsha Heights saw a medium amount of flooding that still proved challenging to morning commuters. Antonie Robertson / The National A municipality worker supervises water being pumped from flooding along the roads near Kite Beach. Antonie Robertson / The National A waiter at Burts in The Greens sweeps away some water to get ready for the business day. Antonie Robertson/The National Residents of The Greens get out their umbrellas today for their morning walk. Antonie Robertson / The National Flooding in Barsha Heights. Antonie Robertson / The National Residents of The Greens get out their umbrellas today for their morning walk. Antonie Robertson / The National The Greens saw heavy rain that left the streets wet. Antonie Robertson / The National Residents of The Greens enjoy their morning walk in the early drizzle. Antonie Robertson / The National A municipality worker supervises water being pumped from flooding along the roads near Kite Beach. Antonie Robertson / The National Parking areas in the Discovery Gardens area in Dubai were inundated with water and residents raced to get their cars to safer spots following heavy overnight rainfall on Saturday. Courtesy: Antonie Abreu Flooding in Discovery Gardens. Courtesy: Antonio Abreu

Was the UAE cloud seeding around the time of the rain?

Yes — a forecaster at the NCM confirmed it carried out cloud seeding missions at the time of the rain.

“Until now we have carried out 17 flights all over the country, most areas of the country, since the start of January,” a forecaster told The National on Monday.

Those missions may have had an impact on the amount of rain that fell, the forecaster said, but it is unclear exactly how much as the bureau is still studying that. However, what is clear is that even if the UAE had not carried out the missions, the country would still have seen extreme rainfall at the weekend, she said.

“It was a very strong [system],” she said. “Cloud seeding is part of the process, but mainly it depends on the clouds. How much water is in the cloud. We only help the cloud to increase the amount of rainfall. We don’t produce water.”

On Sunday, a spokesperson from the bureau said outright that it was impossible to link cloud seeding operations with the rain storm.

“We can’t confirm that the large amounts of rain the fell across the country was caused by cloud seeding operations but we try to fire flares into clouds to encourage more rain to fall while the cloud is still inside the country,” they said.

So what caused it?

Most likely climate change.

According to a report by Emirates Wildlife Society-WWF from 2017, in addition to a rise in temperatures in the UAE, climate change could result in a 200 per cent annual increase in rainfall, meaning there will be more flash flooding in the future, not less. And it seems it has already started. Less than half way through January, and the month has already broken the record, making it the wettest January since records began in the UAE.

This week, the country’s Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, said climate change was to blame for the recent torrential rain spell.

“We haven’t seen such high rain for a very long time. So we do see the weather is changing, the climate is changing,” he said.

Will the bureau be out cloud seeding again this week?

Most probably. A new system is due to sweep in on Tuesday that is expected to result in moderate to heavy rain over northern and eastern areas, according to an NCM forecaster. In other areas, including Abu Dhabi city, rainfall is expected to be light to moderate. “There is a weak chance for Abu Dhabi to have heavy rain,” said the forecaster.