Kicker - Making rain in the desert

PAUL BUTLER, HOST: August means hot and dry in many places.

It’s like that a lot in the United Arab Emirates. It gets about 4 inches of rain a year. That’s it.

But a new high-tech solution to chronic drought may be in the offing: drones that zap clouds with lasers.

Last month, the UAE’s National Center of Meteorology posted videos online showing heavy rainfall. The agency said it basically electrocuted the air into rain: lasers charge water vapor with electricity that in turn creates water droplets which then promote rain.

REICHARD: Does that rain fall mainly in the plain?

Cloud seeding’s been around for years, but this process is different.

REICHARD: Could it be something new under the sun?

Nope. Clouds already make rain.

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