There has been plenty of talk over the past couple of years about China’s weather manipulation program, including their claim to have halted rain for the 2008 Summer Olympics (an entry in Weather Whys). There are more claims this month: the government is taking credit for a crippling early-season snowstorm in Beijing.
That sort of seems like bragging about causing a huge traffic jam in New York City on a Friday afternoon–most of us would call that blame–but they have their reasons. The supposedly government-induced precipitation was intended to help with the drought that has affected a large swath of northeastern China, including Beijing, for the last decade.
If they’re so good at manipulating the weather, I wonder why there’s a drought….
For more on the topic (less sarcastic), check out meteorologist Brian Neudorff’s recent post on WX-MAN’S Musings.
–Paul Yeager
