Researchers in North Dakota Look to Skies And Data on Hail Mitigation

(Adobe Stock via Prairie News Service)

(By Mike Moen. Prairie News Service) – North Dakota is no stranger to a scientific effort known as “cloud seeding” to minimize the impact of hailstorms but regional researchers said a broader set of data is needed to guide future decisions and better protect communities and property owners.

The University of North Dakota said for several decades, the state’s project has allowed pilots to fly into selected storms and release tiny particles into the clouds, creating many small ice particles instead of fewer large hailstones. In the western half of the state, the approach was meant to reduce hail damage to crops.

Marwa Majdi, assistant research professor of atmospheric sciences at the university, said the time is right for her team to see what’s working and what is not.

“It’ll then help communities to understand what the evidence supports and whether hail suppression efforts are actually reducing the most damaging hail,” Majdi explained.